Silver Coin Melt Value Today: Quarters, Dimes and Halves

The table above gives the melt value of the most common U.S. silver coins at the current silver price: the worth of the silver each coin contains. It updates with the silver price several times a day, and the chart above it shows how that price has moved, from the past month to the full history since 2000.

The short version: U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Kennedy half dollars from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. Ordinary dimes and quarters from 1965 on contain no silver at all. To find a coin's melt value, multiply its silver content by the silver price; the table does it for you. A common or worn silver coin usually sells for close to its melt value. A rare date or a coin in exceptional condition can be worth much more to collectors.

Values are for information only and may be delayed. This is not financial advice.

Claim Augusta's Free Gold & Silver IRA Kit

What melt value means

A coin's melt value is the market value of the precious metal inside it, nothing more. It ignores the coin's face value, its age, its condition and its rarity. For silver coins it is simple to work out:

Melt value = silver content in troy ounces × silver price per troy ounce

For example, a pre-1965 quarter contains 0.18084 troy ounces of silver. At a silver price of $50 an ounce, its melt value would be 0.18084 × $50 = about $9.04. The table at the top of this page does the same sum at today's price.

Melt value is a floor, not a selling price. It tells you what the silver alone is worth, which is a sensible starting point when you sell common silver coins and the minimum you should expect a fair buyer to consider.

Which years are silver

Until 1965, the United States struck its dimes, quarters and half dollars in "900 fine coin silver": 90% silver and 10% copper. The Coinage Act of 1965 replaced silver in dimes and quarters with copper-nickel clad metal, and cut the half dollar to 40% silver. Congress removed silver from the half dollar entirely after 1970.

What year were quarters silver? Every circulating U.S. quarter dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver. Quarters dated 1965 and later are not, so a 1965 quarter in your change is worth 25 cents, not its weight in silver. The only exceptions are special silver proof and collector versions sold by the U.S. Mint, which are sold in sets and marked as such.

A quick check without a date: look at the edge. A 90% silver coin has a solid silver-colored edge. A clad coin shows a copper-colored stripe between its two faces.

How much silver is in each coin

These figures are for a coin as it left the Mint. Coins that spent decades in circulation have lost a little metal to wear, so a worn coin holds slightly less silver than the table says.

"Junk silver" and the $1 face value rule

Dealers call common, worn 90% silver coins junk silver. The name is not an insult: it means the coins have no collector premium and trade for their silver.

Junk silver is usually bought and sold by face value. A bag of $1 face value means ten dimes, four quarters or two half dollars, in any mix. Each of those holds 0.7234 troy ounces of silver when new, and the trade uses 0.715 troy ounces per $1 face to allow for wear. That is the figure in the "$1 face value" row of the table at the top.

To value a pile of pre-1965 dimes, quarters and halves, add up their face value and multiply by the "$1 face value" figure. Twenty silver quarters, for instance, are $5 face value, so they hold about 5 × 0.715 = 3.58 troy ounces of silver.

Silver dollars: Morgan and Peace

Morgan dollars (1878 to 1904, and 1921) and Peace dollars (1921 to 1928, and 1934 to 1935) each contain 0.77344 troy ounces of silver, the most of any circulating U.S. coin. Their melt value is in the table.

In practice, Morgan and Peace dollars almost always sell for more than melt, because collectors want them even in worn condition, and certain dates and mint marks are worth a great deal more. If you have silver dollars, ask a coin dealer for a valuation before you sell them as silver. Melt value is the least they are worth, not the likely price.

The 40% coins

• Kennedy half dollars, 1965 to 1970, are 40% silver and hold 0.14792 troy ounces each, about 41% of a pre-1965 half.
• Eisenhower dollars were 40% silver only in collector issues struck at San Francisco (with an "S" mint mark) from 1971 to 1976 and sold in special packaging. Circulating Eisenhower dollars contain no silver.
• Bicentennial quarters, halves and dollars dated 1776-1976 also came in 40% silver collector versions with an "S" mint mark. The circulating versions are clad and contain no silver.

War nickels

From mid-1942 to 1945, nickel was needed for the war, so the Mint struck five-cent pieces from an alloy of copper, silver and manganese that is 35% silver. You can spot a war nickel by the large mint mark (P, D or S) above the dome of Monticello on the reverse. Each holds 0.05626 troy ounces of silver.

Coins that look silver but contain none

• Dimes and quarters dated 1965 or later (other than special collector issues)
• Half dollars dated 1971 or later (other than special collector issues)
• Circulating Eisenhower dollars, Susan B. Anthony dollars, Sacagawea and Native American dollars, and Presidential dollars
• Nickels other than 1942 to 1945 war nickels

When a coin is worth more than melt

Melt value is the right measure for common, worn silver coins. It is the wrong measure for:

• Key dates and rare mint marks, which collectors pay a premium for
• Coins in uncirculated or proof condition, especially ones graded by a recognized grading service
• Errors, such as double strikes or coins struck on the wrong metal
• Morgan and Peace dollars, which usually carry a collector premium even when worn

If a coin is old, unusual or in excellent condition, have it looked at by a reputable coin dealer, or check a recognized price guide, before selling it for its silver.

What a buyer will pay

When you sell junk silver, dealers usually pay close to melt value, sometimes a little under it, depending on the market and the quantity. When you buy it, you pay a premium over melt, which rises when demand for physical silver is high.

Before you sell:

• Get at least two quotes, and ask whether each is quoted per $1 face value or per coin.
• Ask which silver price the quote uses. Check it against the price at the top of this page.
• Separate your coins first. Sort out 90%, 40% and clad coins, and set aside anything that may be collectible.

Is it legal to melt silver coins?

Federal rules prohibit melting or exporting U.S. one-cent and five-cent coins, with narrow exceptions, and that includes wartime silver nickels. The rule does not cover silver dimes, quarters, half dollars or dollars. Most people never melt their coins anyway: a refiner usually pays less than a coin dealer, and the coins are easier to sell as they are.

Can you hold junk silver in an IRA?

No. Silver held in an IRA must be at least 99.9% pure, and 90% and 40% coins fall short. The American Silver Eagle, which is .999 fine silver, is allowed. Our guide to gold IRA tax rules covers the purity rules and storage requirements, and our silver IRA rollover guide explains how to move retirement savings into silver bullion.

Buying silver for the long term

If you are thinking about holding silver for your retirement rather than selling coins you already own, bullion is the form built for that job: it is priced close to the metal, is easy to sell, and qualifies for an IRA when it is 99.9% pure.

• Augusta Precious Metals sells silver and gold for IRAs and for purchases with personal funds, explains the account before any sale, and has a $50,000 minimum. It is our first-ranked company.
• Goldco sells silver and gold for IRAs and direct purchase and gives silver equal billing.
• American Hartford Gold sells silver coins, bars and rounds and ships insured to your door for a delivery order.

The full comparison is in our ranking and in our guide to the best silver IRA companies. For today's silver price by weight, see our silver price per ounce page, and for silver jewelry and tableware, see our 925 sterling silver price today page.

Claim Augusta's Free Gold & Silver IRA Kit

Claim Goldco's Free Silver IRA Kit

Claim American Hartford Gold's Free Guide

FAQ

What is the melt value of a silver quarter?

A pre-1965 quarter contains 0.18084 troy ounces of silver. Its melt value at today's silver price is shown in the table at the top of this page.

What year were quarters silver?

Circulating U.S. quarters dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Quarters dated 1965 and later contain no silver, apart from special collector issues.

How much silver is in a dime?

A pre-1965 dime contains 2.25 grams, or 0.07234 troy ounces, of silver.

Are Kennedy half dollars silver?

The 1964 Kennedy half is 90% silver. Kennedy halves from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. Circulating Kennedy halves from 1971 on contain no silver.

What is junk silver?

Common, worn 90% U.S. silver coins with no collector premium. They trade by face value, at about 0.715 troy ounces of silver per $1 face value.

How do I calculate silver coin melt value?

Multiply the coin's silver content in troy ounces by the silver price per troy ounce. For several 90% coins, multiply their total face value by 0.715, then by the silver price.

Is a silver dollar worth more than melt value?

Usually, yes. Morgan and Peace dollars carry a collector premium even in worn condition, and some dates are worth far more. Get a dealer's valuation before selling them as silver.

Can I put silver coins in an IRA?

Not 90% or 40% coins: IRA silver must be at least 99.9% pure. American Silver Eagles qualify.

Sources

• Coinage Act of 1965, Public Law 89-81 (900 fine coin silver before 1965; the 40% half dollar's 11.5 grams with 4.6 grams of silver)
• U.S. Mint: coin specifications (today's dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars are clad coins), read November 6, 2026
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 31 CFR Part 82, 5-cent and one-cent coin regulations, read November 6, 2026
• IRS: frequently asked questions about IRAs
• Silver prices: COMEX silver futures (SI=F) daily closes from Yahoo Finance and the silver spot price from api.gold-api.com, refreshed automatically. Coin weights and silver content are the standard U.S. Mint specifications; melt values are calculated from them.

Claim Augusta's Free Gold & Silver IRA Kit