U.S. Coin Melt Values

The following page displays silver coin melt values for United States minted coins commonly in circulation. While the collectability, also known as the numismatic value, might be hard to memorize the silver content of the coins in terms of percentages % is fairly easy to remember. Here it is quickly and then we will break it down below. Most Dollars, Half Dollars, Quarters, and Dimes (but not nickels) minted before 1965 are 90% with a few variances to the rule. If you have a small scale you will want to set it to measure in Oz / Troy Oz if possible. 1 troy oz = 31.1034768 grams or $79.55 at the current spot price.
1 Silver Dollar is worth $79.55 (90% Silver)

Peace Dollar

1 Pre 1965 Silver Half Dollar is worth $28.77 (90% Silver), while a half dollar minted between 1965 and 1970 (40% silver) is worth less at $11.77

1964 Kennedy Half Dollar

1 Silver Quarter is worth $14.38 (90% Silver)

Washington Quarter

1 Silver Dime is worth $5.75 (90% Silver)

Roosevelt Dime

1 Silver War Nickel (1942 to 1945) is worth $4.48 (35% Silver)

Silver War Nickel

There are as you might have noticed a few caveats that we need to mention and here they are.

Silver nickels are only issued between 1942 and 1945
Half Dollars are only 90% until 1964 after that 1965 to 1970 they are sadly only 40% silver.

That pretty much sums it up. If you want to know more about any of those items above simply click the desired link and go to the page.

Silver Quarter Worth

Find a 1964 or previous silver quarter in a vending machine return slot, pocket change, or an old drawer? You just may be asking yourself..self..How much is a silver quarter worth? We are happy to tell you that most any quarter minted before 1965 is worth at bare minimum  $14.38 this calculation is based on the current silver price of  $79.55 Pretty good right? At the very least much better than the .25 face value that most quarters have. That is much better than the face value of .25 right? You can probably take it by a coin dealer and get somewhere between $8.02 and $10.41 as they rarely pay spot for coins. If you are more interested in the numismatic or collect-ability of this coin click here for quarter prices.

Like some more information? – Well what type of quarter is it? Click on the image below that best matches the image on your coin.

Washington Quarter

Capped Bust Quarter

Silver Half Dollar Value?

So you’ve found, or been given a silver half dollar right? You might be wondering to yourself…How much is a silver half dollar worth now? We will gladly tell you that a 90% silver half-dollar has a melt value of $28.77 So worst case it’s worth $28.77 best case it’s a rare half dollar and is worth more. Get info on numismatic half-dollar values from CoinTrackers.com (Note: most any halves minted before 1965 is 90%, one minted between 1965 and 1970 is only 40% silver) Current silver spot price is $79.55

You can probably take it by a coin dealer and get somewhere between $20.82 and $23.94 for it as they rarely pay spot for coins.

Like some more information? – Well what type of half dollar is it? Click on the image below that best matches the image on your coin.

1964 Kennedy Half Dollar 90%

Franklin Half Dollar 1948 to 1963

Walking Liberty Half Dollar 1916 to 1947

Barber Half Dollar 1892 to 1916

Whats a Silver Dime Worth?

So you’ve found a silver dime in some loose change huh? You might be wondering to yourself….How much is a silver dime worth nowadays? We will gladly tell you that a 90% silver dime has a melt value of $5.75 So worst case it’s worth $5.75 best case it’s a rare dime and is worth more. Get info on numismatic dime values from CoinTrackers.com (Note: most any dime minted before 1965 is 90%) Current silver spot price is $79.55

Like some more information? – Well what type of dime is it? Click on the image below that best matches the image on your dime.

Roosevelt Dime

Mercury Dime

Barber Dime

Silver Production By Country

We thought it was time to do a little reasearch and detail and list the worlds silver production by country. Among the top countries are Mexico, China, Peru (might be a surprise), Australia, and Russia. More details below, thanks for reading.

While somewhat tied to the gold markets, silver prices declined significantly in 2013, even though trends for both gold and silver point to gains in 2014. However, some of these gains will rely on silver production for 2014 with several countries producing prodigious amounts of silver for the world market.

Here’s a quick list of the top 5 silver producing countries in the world based on 2012 numbers (2013 numbers are being compiled):

Mexico

With a 2012 production of 162+ million ounces, Mexico is far and away the largest producer of silver in the world. Both Fesnillo and Goldcorp have several assets producing silver in conjunction with other metals such as gold, copper and zinc and with projected reserves of well over 500 million ounces, these companies should keep Mexico in the top slot for some time to come.

China

Up from 104 million ounces, China silver mines produced over 117 million ounces of silver in 2012, surpassing the silver output from Peru to become the second highest silver producing country. China is also the world’s largest producer of gold in the world.

Peru

Although Peru saw a slight increase in production from 2011 to 2012 (111 million ounces up from 110 million ounces), the output from China still outpaced it. Even though Peru is now the third largest country for silver production, with in-ground assets exceeding 120,000 tons (according to USGS), the potential is there to outpace anyone in the world.

Australia

With 2012 production at just under 57 million ounces, the mines in Australia also have the potential to increase dramatically. With in-ground assets that could exceed some 69,000 tons, much of the silver supply in the country comes from the silver bearing lead ore galena which increases production costs.

Russia

Overall, Russia’s 2012 silver output stood at 45 million ounces, most of which was produced by a single company, Polymetal. Their mine in Central Siberia produced over 5% of all Russian silver production with corporate silver production being responsible for well over half (26%) of all Russian silver production for 2012.

Even though silver is used like gold as an investment hedge metal, silver also has many industrial uses which accounts for most of the demand for silver. Although over half of all silver production goes to jewelry, silverware, bullion and other sources, the largest bulk (46%) of all silver demand is for industrial purposes. While overall global production rose slightly for 2013, the price dropped dramatically. Even though trends for 2014 do show a rebound, as an investment metal, silver may not be your best hedge against future economic issues.