Coin values · 90% silver
Junk silver calculator: price today and value chart
"Junk silver" is everyday US coinage made of 90% silver: pre-1965 dimes, quarters and half dollars with no rare-coin premium, valued for the silver inside. At the Nov 3, 2026 close ($49.78/oz), $1 of face value held $35.59 of silver. The calculator and tracker below use the live price.
Junk silver calculator
Melt = pure metal content × recent spot (silver $49.78/oz). This is the bullion floor; collectible coins can be worth far more. Federal rules restrict melting only 1¢ and 5¢ coins (31 CFR Part 82; 1942–1945 silver war nickels are exempt). This estimates intrinsic value.
Junk silver price today
Melt value of 90% US silver coins at the Nov 3, 2026 silver price of $49.78/oz (close).
$1 face of circulated 90% coins holds about 0.715 oz of silver (worn standard); four uncirculated quarters hold 0.7234 oz. Melt is the silver value only; dealers sell above it and buy below it.
Junk silver value chart: $1 face since 1968
What the silver in $1 face value of 90% coins was worth each month (0.715 oz × the month’s closing silver price).
Dealer premium per $1 face
How far above melt our 90% silver listings were priced, per $1 of face value: the median across our listings for each month.
Junk silver price history in numbers
Over the last 12 months (Nov 2025 to Oct 2026), the median premium on our 90% silver listings was $2.96 per $1 face (6.5% over melt). Monthly medians ranged from $0.69 (Dec 2025) to $6.13 (Feb 2026); premiums widened when silver jumped in early 2026 and stood at $2.83 (6.5%) in Oct 2026 (month to date).
| Close | Silver price | Melt per $1 face |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 1970 | $1.63 | $1.17 |
| Dec 1980 | $15.50 | $11.08 |
| Dec 1990 | $4.19 | $3.00 |
| Dec 2000 | $4.58 | $3.27 |
| Dec 2010 | $30.63 | $21.90 |
| Dec 2020 | $26.48 | $18.94 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | $49.78 | $35.59 |
Melt per $1 face = 0.715 oz × the December close of each decade year. Silver: LBMA benchmark history, then Bullion Trading LLC 5 pm ET spot closes. Premiums: generalised monthly medians of our own asking prices for 90% silver sold by face value (Dec 2024 to Oct 2026; listings priced in error in October and November 2024 are left out). Not a price list.
What counts as junk silver?
| Coins | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 90% silver — dimes, quarters, half dollars | 1964 & earlier | The classic "junk silver." A $1 face value holds about 0.715 oz of silver. |
| 40% silver — Kennedy half dollar | 1965–1970 | About 41% of the silver in a pre-1965 half. Often sold separately at a lower per-dollar silver content. |
| 35% silver — "war nickels" | 1942–1945 | Wartime Jefferson nickels with a large mint mark above Monticello. About 0.0563 oz each. |
| 90% silver — Morgan & Peace dollars | 1878–1935 | Silver dollars hold about 0.7734 oz each; common dates trade close to melt, key dates carry premiums. |
How much silver is in $1 of face value?
The industry rule of thumb: $1 of face value in 90% coins ≈ 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver, a worn standard that allows for circulation wear.
| Face value | Approx. pure silver | Melt at the Nov 3, 2026 close |
|---|---|---|
| $1 face (e.g. 10 dimes) | ≈ 0.715 oz | $35.59 |
| $10 face (a roll of dimes) | ≈ 7.15 oz | $356 |
| $100 face | ≈ 71.5 oz | $3,559 |
| $1,000 face ("a bag") | ≈ 715 oz | $35,591 |
Uncirculated 90% coins hold 0.7234 oz per $1 face (25 g × 90% = 22.5 g of silver). The 0.715 oz figure is a dealer convention that allows for about 8 oz of wear per $1,000 bag (Numismatic News); no government standard defines it. Multiply the ounces by the live silver price to get the melt value, which is what the calculator above does.
How junk silver is priced
Dealers price junk silver off its melt value: face value × 0.715 × live silver spot, plus a premium when you buy. Because the silver content is fixed and well known, there is little guesswork: you are buying silver by weight, in small denominations. The premium moves with demand and with the silver price; the premium chart above shows how ours changed month by month.
Buy at Bullion Trading LLC
Store prices as of 2026-11-03. Today's price is on each product page.
Common questions about junk silver
What is junk silver?
Junk silver is common-date US coinage made of 90% silver — mainly dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier — that has no extra collector (numismatic) value, so it trades for its silver content. "Junk" refers to the lack of rarity premium, not the condition of the coins.
Which coins are junk silver?
Pre-1965 Roosevelt/Mercury/Barber dimes, Washington/Standing Liberty/Barber quarters, and Walking Liberty/Franklin/1964 Kennedy half dollars are all 90% silver. 1965–1970 Kennedy halves are 40% silver, and 1942–1945 "war nickels" are 35% silver. Common-date Morgan and Peace silver dollars are also often grouped with junk silver.
How much silver is in junk silver?
By the worn industry standard, $1 of face value in 90% coins contains about 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver. Individually: a pre-1965 dime ≈ 0.0723 oz, a quarter ≈ 0.1808 oz, and a half dollar ≈ 0.3617 oz.
How is junk silver priced?
Junk silver is priced off its silver content: face value × 0.715 × the live silver spot price, then a premium when you buy. Use the calculator above to value any amount by face value or by coin, and the premium chart to see how far above melt our listings have been priced.
Is junk silver a good way to own silver?
Junk silver is one of the lowest-premium ways to own physical silver, and it is highly divisible and instantly recognizable, which is why stackers and preparedness buyers like it. It is not a rare-coin investment — you are buying silver by weight.