Which coins count as junk silver
US dimes, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver; the switch to copper-nickel clad came in 1965. Kennedy half dollars from 1965 through 1970 are the in-between case at 40% silver, and wartime Jefferson nickels from mid-1942 through 1945 (large mint mark above Monticello) contain 35% silver.
- 90% silver: dimes, quarters, halves dated 1964 or earlier (and silver dollars, which usually carry premiums)
- 40% silver: Kennedy halves 1965–1970
- 35% silver: war nickels 1942–1945 with the big P, D, or S over the dome
- Not silver: anything 1965+ except the halves above and special collector issues
The melt math
Each 90% coin has a known actual silver weight (ASW): roughly 0.0723 troy ounces for a dime, 0.1808 for a quarter, and 0.3617 for a half dollar. Multiply ASW by the current spot price for melt value — with silver at $30, a 90% quarter carries about $5.40 of silver.
Dealers often quote junk silver per dollar of face value: $1.00 face of 90% coins contains about 0.715 troy ounces after average circulation wear. Junk silver typically trades at a small premium or discount to melt depending on supply and demand.
Not all junk is junk
Bulk silver lots regularly contain coins worth more than melt: better dates like the 1916-D Mercury dime or 1932-D and 1932-S quarters, high-grade pieces with full luster, and silver war nickels mixed into regular nickel lots. Check every date and mint mark before selling anything as bulk.
Barber-era and earlier silver generally carries at least a modest collector premium even when heavily worn, so separate anything older than 1916 automatically.
Sort silver faster with CoinVault Pro
Working through a bag of old dimes and quarters? Scan questionable pieces with CoinVault Pro — the AI identifies date, mint, and type in seconds, and the live pricing (Numista data plus real eBay sold prices) instantly flags coins whose collector value beats their melt value.
Log your keepers in the collection manager and track your silver stack’s market value as spot prices move.