US Silver Coin Value Calculator

Silver Price Quotes

Silver Coin Value Calculator

The Value of Silver Coins

Some people consider silver to be gold's poor relation as an investment. However, fortunes have been made with silver, and it is a precious metal. On the subject of an investment for the average guy, one of the most cost effective ways to collect silver is to find or buy 1964 or before US silver coins. Yes, before 1964, US coins were 90% silver! The half dollar coin was 40% silver from 1965 until 1970 when it became a clad coin. Even some WWII "nickels" contained .35 silver!

You can often buy US silver coins for very close to melt value. In other words, you can still accumulate a precious metal without paying a premium for a collector's item or plastic case. And when you purchase silver US coins, you are buying one of the most recognizable forms of silver on the planet!

Every dollar in face value of 90% silver coins contains about .715 of a troy ounce of silver. So if you are talking to a coin dealer or browsing EBay, you probably want to get an idea of the value of the coins because of their silver bullion. For instance, if you have 1.50 in 90% silver coins, you have about 1.07 of a troy ounce. If the price of silver bullion for the day is $10 an ounce, that $1.50 in coins would be worth a little more then $10 because of the silver content!

On the other hand, 40% silver halves contain about .29 of an ounce of silver per $1 of face value. So if you have 1.50 in 1965 silver halves, and silver is $10 an ounce, the silver would be worth about $3.00.

Of course, older US silver coins may be worth more because of a collector's premium, and you will not usually be able to buy them for their melt value. But the calculation will give you a starting place to estimate a reeasonable price. And sometimes you will luck out on EBay or a flea market and actually find US silver coins for less then melt. Hey, you may even get really lucky and find them in your change, though that is uncommon these days.