Old Silver Coins: Telling the Silver From the Rest

There is a jar or a coffee can in a great many North Texas houses, and a fair share of what is in it is silver. Separating the silver from the rest is far simpler than most people assume, because the mint drew a hard line in one particular year.

Here is the line, what falls on the good side of it, and how the value gets worked out.

Everything turns on 1964

Through 1964, American dimes, quarters, and half dollars were struck in 90% silver. In 1965 dimes and quarters switched to a copper-nickel sandwich and the silver stopped. Reading the date is therefore the fastest sorting tool anybody has.

Half dollars are the exception worth knowing about, because they held a reduced 40% silver content from 1965 through 1970 before going base metal like the rest.

Roosevelt and Mercury dimes dated 1964 or earlier
Washington quarters dated 1964 or earlier
Walking Liberty, Franklin, and 1964 Kennedy halves
Barber dimes, quarters, and halves
Kennedy halves 1965 through 1970, which run 40% silver

How the number is reached

Common silver of this sort is paid as a share of what the metal is worth, starting from the silver actually in the coins and the price silver is trading at during the visit. The trade often talks about it in face value, since a known face amount of 90% silver contains a predictable quantity of metal.

Quantity moves the share upward, though there is no minimum. A pocketful is as welcome as a bag, and both get the same look.

Why it still gets gone through

Sorting by date finds the silver. It does not find the good coins. Every so often a thin-mintage year or an unusually well-preserved piece is sitting in a group otherwise headed for the scale, and once it is weighed with everything else that value is simply gone.

That is the argument for having a group read rather than only weighed, and for not trying to pre-sort it at the kitchen table first.

Key takeaways

Dimes and quarters from 1964 and back run 90% silver.
Halves stayed 40% silver from 1965 through 1970.
The value starts from actual silver content against the market.
Groups still deserve reading, since better coins hide inside them.

FAQ

Common questions

What is the quickest way to spot the silver?

Look at the date first. Dimes and quarters from 1964 or earlier are 90% silver, halves are 90% through 1964 and 40% from 1965 to 1970, and from 1965 on dimes and quarters are copper-nickel.

What would a full jar come to?

It follows the total silver in the coins against the live market, with quantity nudging the share. Bring the jar, it gets weighed, quoted against the day’s price, and gone through for anything better.

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