How Much Are Your Silver Coins Worth?

People come to us from all over the country with silver coins. Silver they inherited, silver they found in a drawer, silver their grandparents gave them, and new silver they just started collecting. We are always glad to see new precious metals investors and hear their stories. And almost all of them arrive with the same question: how much are my silver coins actually worth?

The short answer is that most common silver coins are worth the silver in them, and that value moves with the price of silver every day. This guide shows you how to figure out what your coins are worth, how the spot price maps onto real coins, and how to tell if your silver is genuine.

The Silver Spot Price Sets the Floor for Silver Coins

Most common silver coins are valued on their metal content, which means their worth rises and falls with the live silver price. This is a moving number, so treat any figure here as a snapshot, not a fixed price. As of September 3, 2026, silver is trading around $67 an ounce, and we will use that to show how coins derive their price. Your coins will be worth a little more or less depending on where silver trades the day you buy or sell.

Here is how that spot price maps onto the most common circulated US silver coins, valued purely on their silver content:

Coin	Silver content	Value at ~$67 spot
90% silver dime (Roosevelt, Mercury, Barber)	0.072 oz	about $4.87
90% silver quarter (Washington, Standing Liberty)	0.181 oz	about $12.19
90% silver half dollar (Walking Liberty, Franklin, 1964 Kennedy)	0.362 oz	about $24.38
40% silver half dollar (1965-1970 Kennedy)	0.148 oz	about $9.97
Morgan or Peace silver dollar	0.773 oz	about $52.13
1-oz American Silver Eagle (.999)	1.00 oz	about $67.41

These prices will be different tomorrow, but the relationship does not change. A 90% silver quarter always holds about 0.18 ounces of silver, so whatever silver is trading at, you can find the coin’s melt value by multiplying its silver content by the current spot price. Check the live silver price any time to run the numbers yourself.

90% silver coins are often quoted a second way: per $1 of face value. That is how our live page lists them, so a $10 roll of silver quarters, for example, is ten times the number below. Here is how the same $67.41 spot price looks priced per dollar of face value, matching our silver prices page:

90% silver coin	Value per $1 face value
Washington quarters	about $48.52
Roosevelt dimes	about $48.45
Franklin half dollars	about $48.52
Walking Liberty half dollars	about $48.52
Kennedy half dollars	about $48.52

In other words, every dollar of face value in 90% coins holds about 0.715 ounces of silver, so it is worth roughly $48 at today’s price no matter which coin it is. A single quarter is one-quarter of that, about $12 (4 x 12 = 48). 

What “Melt Value” Means, and Why Most Coins Trade On It

Melt value is what the raw silver in a coin is worth at the current spot price, and nothing more. Pre-1965 US coins, commonly called “junk silver,” carry no collector premium, so they trade right on their melt value. That is a good thing: it makes them a simple, liquid, recognizable way to own silver.

A $1,000 face-value bag of 90% silver coins holds roughly 715 ounces of silver, so at around $67 an ounce that bag is worth close to $48,200 in silver alone. The coins can be dimes, quarters, or half dollars, Mercury Dimes, Walking Liberty Half Dollars, Franklin Half Dollars, 1964 Kennedys, and the silver value comes out about the same per dollar of face value.

American Silver Eagles work the same way, just at higher purity. An Eagle is one full troy ounce of .999 fine silver, so a single Eagle is worth about one ounce of silver plus a small premium. It is the official silver bullion coin of the United States and the most popular silver coin to buy.

When Is a Coin Worth More Than Its Silver?

Bullion and the main recognized coins track the spot price closely. Where it gets gray is numismatic value, the collector premium a coin can carry above its metal, based on a few things:

• Condition. A coin in near-mint shape with little wear is worth more than a worn one. Grading services like PCGS score coins on the Sheldon scale from 1 to 70, and a higher grade means a higher value.
• Rarity and mintage. Coins with small mint runs, or from a mint that only operated briefly, are scarcer and can command a premium. A mint mark tells you where and often when a coin was struck.
• Historical significance. Limited-edition coins tied to an event, or coins featuring a historical figure, can be worth well beyond their silver.
• Errors. A misplaced or doubled mint mark, a wrong date, or a misprint can make a coin an oddity that collectors pay up for.

If you think you have a rare date, a high-grade coin, or an error, its value may run well past melt, and that is worth having a specialist look at. For everything else, the melt value is your answer.

How Do I Know if My Silver Is Real?

If you don’t know if your silver is real and want to check before getting it appraised, two quick checks can tell you a lot.

First, look for the stamp. Government-minted coins are marked with their purity and weight, and that stamp is backed by the issuing government’s guarantee. An American Silver Eagle, for example, states its one ounce of .999 fine silver right on the coin.

Second, weigh it. A troy ounce is 31.1 grams. Most common 90% silver coins have a known weight, so if a coin comes in noticeably light, that is a warning sign. If you are ever unsure, a reputable dealer can verify it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a 90% silver quarter worth? About $12.19 at a silver price near $67 an ounce, since each holds roughly 0.18 ounces of silver. The exact figure moves with spot.

How much is an American Silver Eagle worth? An Eagle contains one full ounce of .999 silver, so it is worth about the spot price of one ounce plus a small premium.

How much is a bag of junk silver worth? A $1,000 face-value bag holds about 715 ounces of silver, so near $67 an ounce it is worth roughly $48,200 in silver.

Does the type of 90% coin matter? Not for silver value. Dimes, quarters, and half dollars all work out to about the same silver per dollar of face value. Rarity and condition are separate.

Ready to Buy or Sell Silver?

Now that you can figure out what your silver coins are worth, you can shop with confidence. If you want to add to your collection, our silver coins page covers American Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, junk silver, and more. If you are selling, knowing the melt value means you will know a fair offer when you hear one.

Check our daily silver prices, browse our silver coins, or talk with one of our non-commission brokers about buying or selling silver at whatever pace fits you.

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