What “junk silver” really means, which pre-1965 U.S. coins qualify, how much silver each one holds, and the simple face-value formula for figuring what a bag of 90% silver coins is worth at today’s silver price.
What Is Junk Silver?
“Junk silver” is a stacker’s nickname for common-date, circulated U.S. coins that are valued only for the silver they contain — not for any rarity or collector premium. The word “junk” refers to collectibility, not quality. These are real silver coins; they simply aren’t scarce dates or high-grade examples, so they trade on metal content alone. A worn 1962 Roosevelt dime and a pristine one hold the same silver, so for junk-silver purposes condition barely matters.
In practical terms, junk silver means pre-1965 U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars struck in 90% silver. Because tens of millions of these coins survive, they carry essentially no numismatic premium and price closely against the silver market. That makes them the most straightforward way to own recognizable, divisible physical silver — every coin is a U.S. legal-tender piece with a known silver weight.
It’s worth separating junk silver from key-date or graded coins. A 1916-D Mercury dime or a high-grade Walking Liberty half is a collector coin worth far more than its metal. Junk silver is the opposite end of that spectrum: ordinary circulated coinage bought and sold by the silver in it.
What Years and Coins Count as Junk Silver
The core of junk silver is U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier, which are 90% silver and 10% copper. That includes Mercury and Roosevelt dimes, Washington quarters, and Walking Liberty, Franklin, and 1964 Kennedy half dollars, along with older Barber coinage. The U.S. stopped striking these 90% silver denominations after 1964 under the Coinage Act of 1965, when rising silver prices made the metal worth more than face value.
There are two partial-silver categories stackers also count. Kennedy half dollars dated 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver — less metal per coin, and priced accordingly. And “war nickels,” minted 1942 through 1945, are 35% silver; you can spot them by the large mint mark placed over Monticello on the reverse. Standard Jefferson nickels outside those war years contain no silver.
Everything dated 1965 or later in the dime, quarter, and regular half-dollar series is copper-nickel “clad” with no silver value. The 1964 cutoff is the single most important date to remember: for dimes and quarters, 1964 and earlier means silver, 1965 and later means clad.
How Much Silver Is in Junk Silver
Each 90% silver coin holds a known amount of pure silver. A pre-1965 dime contains about 0.0723 troy ounces, a quarter about 0.18084 troy ounces, and a half dollar about 0.36169 troy ounces. These figures are for the silver content (the actual silver weight), not the full coin weight, since 10% of each coin is copper.
The number that ties it all together is the face-value rule: $1 in face value of 90% silver coins contains roughly 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver. It doesn’t matter whether that dollar is made of ten dimes, four quarters, or two half dollars — the silver works out about the same. So $1.40 in face value is close to one full troy ounce, and a “$100 face bag” holds around 71.5 troy ounces.
Because circulated coins lose a tiny amount of metal to wear, heavily worn coins carry marginally less silver than the textbook figure. In practice the trade ignores this and prices everything by face value, which keeps junk silver simple to buy, sell, and stack.
How to Calculate Junk Silver Value
The value of junk silver comes from one formula: face value × 0.715 × the current silver price per troy ounce. First add up the face value of your coins (a quarter counts as $0.25, a dime as $0.10, and so on). Multiply that face value by 0.715 to get the troy ounces of pure silver. Then multiply by the live silver spot price to get the silver content value.
For a worked example, say you have $50 in face value of pre-1965 dimes and quarters. Multiply $50 × 0.715 to get about 35.75 troy ounces of silver. At a silver price of $X per ounce, the silver content is 35.75 × $X. You can check the figure that sets this math any time on our [live silver price](/prices/silver) page. We never quote a fixed dollar amount here because silver moves daily and any printed price would be stale within hours.
Two adjustments apply to the base formula. The 40% Kennedy halves (1965–1970) and 35% war nickels use their own silver weights rather than the 0.715 rule, so calculate those separately. And actual buy and sell prices include a small premium or discount to spot, which we cover below.
Why People Buy Junk Silver
Junk silver is popular for a few practical reasons. Premiums over the silver price are typically low compared with bars or collectible coins, and at times junk silver has traded near or even below spot, so more of what you pay goes into actual metal. There is no collector premium baked into common-date circulated coins — you are buying silver, not rarity.
Divisibility is the other big draw. A bag of dimes, quarters, and halves lets you hold or sell silver in very small increments, down to a single dime, rather than committing to a full one-ounce or larger unit. The coins are also instantly recognizable U.S. legal tender with familiar designs, which makes them easy to identify and trade.
This guide explains how junk silver is valued; it is not investment advice. Whether physical silver fits your goals is a personal decision. Our role is to price it transparently against the silver market so you always know exactly what the metal is worth.
Identifying Silver vs. Clad Coins
The fastest check is the date. For dimes and quarters, 1964 and earlier are 90% silver and 1965 and later are copper-nickel clad. Half dollars need a little more care: 1964 is 90% silver, 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver, and 1971 and later are clad. If the date is readable, that alone usually tells you what you have.
When dates are worn smooth, look at the coin’s edge — the side, or “reeding.” A 90% silver dime or quarter shows a solid silvery-white edge all the way through. A clad coin reveals a distinct copper-colored stripe sandwiched in the middle of the edge, because clad coins have a copper core. This copper-stripe test is the quickest way to separate silver from clad in a mixed handful.
Silver coins also tend to look brighter and ring with a longer, higher tone than the duller clunk of clad, though the date and edge tests are more reliable. War nickels are the exception to the date rule for nickels: check 1942–1945 issues for the oversized mint mark above Monticello, which marks the 35% silver pieces.
Buying and Selling Junk Silver
Junk silver is bought and sold by face value, priced as a multiple of the silver spot price. You may see it offered loose, in sorted rolls, or in sealed “$100 face” or “$1,000 face” bags. Whatever the form, the math traces back to the same face-value-times-0.715 calculation, adjusted by a small premium when buying or a small discount when selling.
Lone Star Coins buys and sells 90% junk silver by face value at live, spot-based pricing. Bring your pre-1965 coins to our San Antonio showroom at 2622 NW Loop 410 for a free, no-appointment evaluation — we weigh and price your coins in front of you and explain the numbers. As a PCGS/NGC Authorized Dealer in business more than 40 years, we make the process simple whether you have a single roll or a full bag.
If you inherited a jar of old change or are starting a stack, you can [shop 90% U.S. silver coins (pre-1965)](/collections/90-u-s-silver-coins-pre-1965) or learn how [we buy silver in San Antonio](/sell-silver-san-antonio). Either way, the value always ties back to the current silver price, which you can confirm before you buy or sell.
Frequently asked questions
What is junk silver?+
Junk silver is common-date, circulated U.S. coins valued only for their silver content, not for rarity or condition. The word “junk” refers to collectibility, not quality — these are genuine 90% silver coins. It almost always means pre-1965 dimes, quarters, and half dollars that carry no collector premium and trade close to the silver price.
How much silver is in junk silver coins?+
A pre-1965 90% silver dime holds about 0.0723 troy ounces of silver, a quarter about 0.18084 troy ounces, and a half dollar about 0.36169 troy ounces. The shortcut is that $1 in face value contains roughly 0.715 troy ounces, so $1.40 face is close to one full ounce of pure silver.
What years are 90% silver coins?+
U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. The U.S. stopped striking them after 1964 under the Coinage Act of 1965. Kennedy halves from 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver, and 1942–1945 war nickels are 35% silver. Everything else dated 1965 or later is copper-nickel clad.
How do you calculate the value of junk silver?+
Use this formula: face value × 0.715 × the current silver price per troy ounce. Add up your coins’ face value, multiply by 0.715 to get troy ounces of silver, then multiply by the live silver spot price. For example, $50 face equals about 35.75 troy ounces of silver before any premium or discount.
What is a $1 face value of silver worth?+
A $1 face value of 90% silver coins contains about 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver, so its worth tracks the silver price — multiply 0.715 by the current spot price per ounce. We don’t quote a fixed dollar figure because silver moves daily; check our live silver price page for the number that drives the math.
Are war nickels silver?+
Yes. Jefferson nickels minted from 1942 through 1945 are 35% silver and hold about 0.0563 troy ounces each. You can identify them by the large mint mark placed over Monticello on the reverse. Standard Jefferson nickels from any other year contain no silver and are not junk silver.
Where can I sell junk silver in San Antonio?+
Lone Star Coins buys 90% junk silver by face value at live, spot-based pricing. Bring your pre-1965 coins to our showroom at 2622 NW Loop 410 for a free, no-appointment evaluation — we weigh and price them in front of you. We’re a PCGS/NGC Authorized Dealer with more than 40 years in San Antonio.