Junk Silver Calculator
Junk silver — bulk circulated 90% US coins with no collector premium — trades by face value. The market convention: $1.00 of face value = 0.715 troy ounces of silver (the 0.7234 oz mint standard minus average circulation wear).
Enter any face amount below: a single dime ($0.10), a $10 roll set, or a $1,000 bag. This is the same math dealers use for their buy and sell quotes.
| Coin | Precious metal content | Melt value today |
|---|---|---|
| Half Dollar 1964 & earlier (90%) | 0.3617 troy oz — 12.50 g, 90% silver | $25.00 |
| Quarter 1964 & earlier (90%) | 0.1808 troy oz — 6.25 g, 90% silver | $12.50 |
| Dime 1964 & earlier (90%) | 0.0723 troy oz — 2.50 g, 90% silver | $5.00 |
| War Nickel 1942–1945 (35%) | 0.0563 troy oz — 5.00 g, 35% silver | $3.89 |
Dollar figures here are computed from the live spot price when the page loads and change continuously; the printed baseline is a 2026-08-23 snapshot — cite the metal content and formula, not a captured price. Formulas on the methodology page.
Why 0.715 and not 0.7234
Freshly minted 90% coinage carried 0.7234 oz per dollar of face, but decades of circulation grind a percent or two off every coin. The trade settled on 0.715 as the honest average for mixed circulated lots. Uncirculated rolls are worth quoting at the full 0.7234; heavily slick coins slightly less.
Dealer spreads on junk silver are tight and public — typical retail runs from a small discount to a few percent over melt depending on demand. It's among the fairest ways to buy or sell physical silver.
Sources: live spot prices via gold-api.com · coin weights and fineness from U.S. Mint historical specifications · karat/fineness definitions per standard jewelry marking practice. Melt value ≠ an offer to buy; see how we calculate.