The common 20th-century US silver coins in one table: silver content and melt value per coin, per batch, per $1 of face value and per standard roll. Enter the silver price to update the figures, or press Print for a one-page sheet to keep beside a pile of coins.
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Silver coin melt values at spot
Enter the silver price as a number above 0, for example 50.25.
Silver bid $51.91 per troy ounce, NGC, as of November 11, 2026 (1:00 PM EST). Type your own price to replace it.
Silver content: NGC, cross-checked with MetalCharts. Silver weights for the 90% coins and the war nickel are worked out from the coin weight and alloy, to five decimals. Constants last checked 11/9/2026.
| Coin and years | Composition | Gross weight (g) | Silver (troy oz) | 1 coin | 10 coins | 100 coins | $1 face value | Standard roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson war nickel1942–1945, large mint mark above the dome | 56% Cu, 35% Ag, 9% Mn | 5 | 0.05626 | $2.92 | $29.20 | $292.05 | $58.41 | — |
| Barber dime1892–1916 | 90% silver | 2.5 | 0.07234 | $3.76 | $37.55 | $375.52 | $37.55 | $187.76$5 roll, 50 coins |
| Mercury dime1916–1945 | 90% silver | 2.5 | 0.07234 | $3.76 | $37.55 | $375.52 | $37.55 | $187.76$5 roll, 50 coins |
| Roosevelt dime1946–1964 | 90% silver | 2.5 | 0.07234 | $3.76 | $37.55 | $375.52 | $37.55 | $187.76$5 roll, 50 coins |
| Barber quarter1892–1916 | 90% silver | 6.25 | 0.18084 | $9.39 | $93.87 | $938.74 | $37.55 | $375.50$10 roll, 40 coins |
| Standing Liberty quarter1916–1930 | 90% silver | 6.25 | 0.18084 | $9.39 | $93.87 | $938.74 | $37.55 | $375.50$10 roll, 40 coins |
| Washington quarter1932–1964 | 90% silver | 6.25 | 0.18084 | $9.39 | $93.87 | $938.74 | $37.55 | $375.50$10 roll, 40 coins |
| Barber half dollar1892–1915 | 90% silver | 12.5 | 0.36169 | $18.78 | $187.75 | $1,877.53 | $37.55 | $375.51$10 roll, 20 coins |
| Walking Liberty half dollar1916–1947 | 90% silver | 12.5 | 0.36169 | $18.78 | $187.75 | $1,877.53 | $37.55 | $375.51$10 roll, 20 coins |
| Franklin half dollar1948–1963 | 90% silver | 12.5 | 0.36169 | $18.78 | $187.75 | $1,877.53 | $37.55 | $375.51$10 roll, 20 coins |
| Kennedy half dollar1964 only | 90% silver | 12.5 | 0.36169 | $18.78 | $187.75 | $1,877.53 | $37.55 | $375.51$10 roll, 20 coins |
| Kennedy half dollar1965–1970 | 60% Cu, 40% Ag | 11.5 | 0.14790 | $7.68 | $76.77 | $767.75 | $15.35 | $153.55$10 roll, 20 coins |
| Morgan dollar1878–1921 | 90% silver | 26.73 | 0.77344 | $40.15 | $401.49 | $4,014.93 | $40.15 | — |
| Peace dollar1921–1935 | 90% silver | 26.73 | 0.77344 | $40.15 | $401.49 | $4,014.93 | $40.15 | — |
| Eisenhower dollar1971–1976, 40% silver collector issue | 60% Cu, 40% Ag | 24.59 | 0.31610 | $16.41 | $164.09 | $1,640.88 | $16.41 | — |
| American Silver Eagle1986 to date | 99.93% silver | 31.101 | 1 | $51.91 | $519.10 | $5,191.00 | $51.91 | — |
War nickels carry a large mint mark above Monticello’s dome, so a wartime nickel without one is not the silver alloy; how to tell if a coin is silver has more checks. Not covered: three-cent pieces, half dimes, twenty-cent pieces, Seated Liberty and trade dollars. Roll sizes are face arithmetic: a $5 roll of dimes is 50 coins, a $10 roll of quarters 40, a $10 roll of half dollars 20. Melt value is metal only, not an offer.
coinmeltchart.com/guides/silver-coin-value-chart/
How the numbers are worked out
Melt value is coins × troy ounces of silver per coin × silver price. NGC publishes the coin weight and silver weight (ASW) for each coin. For the 90% coins and the war nickel the chart shows the weight times the silver share, divided by 31.1035 grams per troy ounce, to five decimals (a 2.5 g dime is 2.25 g of silver, 0.07234 oz). The other rows use NGC’s figures. MetalCharts agrees with NGC, except that it rounds the half dollar to 0.3617 and gives the Eagle as 99.9% silver where NGC says 99.93%. NGC’s own melt column uses its ask price, so its cents can differ from this chart. The melt value formula guide has worked examples.
The $1 column multiplies one coin by the coins in a dollar: ten dimes, four quarters or two halves each hold about 0.7234 oz, the figure the junk silver calculator uses per $1. For one denomination, use the dime, quarter, half dollar, dollar or war nickel page, or the main calculator for a mixed pile.
Cutoff by coin year: 1964 versus 1965
The date decides most of it. The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the circulating dime and quarter and reduced the silver content of the half dollar from 90% to 40%.
| Denomination | Dated 1964 or earlier | Dated 1965 or later |
|---|---|---|
| Dime | 90% silver (Roosevelt through 1964) | No silver in circulation strikes |
| Quarter | 90% silver (Washington through 1964) | No silver in circulation strikes |
| Half dollar | 90% silver (Kennedy 1964 included) | 40% silver 1965–1970. From 1971, no silver in circulation strikes. |
Collector sets differ. Silver proof sets have been sold since 1992 and their silver coins are 90% silver, so check proof dimes, quarters and halves separately. The 40% silver Eisenhower dollar was struck as a collectible; the circulating dollar had no silver. Kennedy halves dated 1976 also came in a 40% silver collector version, so a silver 1976 half is not a circulation coin and this chart does not price it.
For a worn date, how to tell if a coin is silver covers other checks.
Where silver coin values stop being melt
NGC notes that a coin’s numismatic or collector value may be higher than its melt value. Scarce dates, high grades and some Morgan and Peace dollars can sell above the chart; this page does not price them. See the NGC price guide for those. A dealer’s offer may be above or below these figures depending on the coin, the quantity and the day. The dealer offer check compares a quote with this chart.
Sources
- NGC, Coin Melt Values: composition, weight, silver content and the silver price shown, retrieved 11/9/2026.
- Wikipedia, Proof coinage and Eisenhower dollar: silver proof sets and the 40% collector dollar.
- MetalCharts, Silver Coin Melt Values: cross-check of silver content.
- Wikipedia, Coinage Act of 1965: the 1965 change in silver content.