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Silver Melt Value Calculator

Value silver by weight and purity, or pick a US coin and count them out.

Silver melt value
$175.53
Pure silver content
92.5 g
2.974 ozt · spot $59.02/ozt

Silver spot last verifiedJul 21, 2026

Estimates only — not financial advice.

Quick answer

Silver melt value = weight × purity × spot ÷ 31.1035. At $59.02/ozt (verified 2026-07-21), a 90% silver Washington quarter holds $10.67 of silver, a Morgan dollar $45.65, and $1 of any pre-1965 face value about $42.70.

How this is calculated

Solid silver is valued like any bullion: melt = weight × purity × spot ÷ 31.1035. Purity comes from the hallmark — .925 sterling, .900 US coin silver, .800 continental — and the spot price is our verified snapshot ($59.02/ozt on 2026-07-21), refreshed weekly.

For US coins we skip the scale entirely: each type has a known actual silver weight (ASW) — a Morgan dollar carries 0.7734 ozt, a pre-1965 quarter 0.1808 ozt — so the value is just ASW × spot × quantity. The table below covers every common type.

US silver coin melt values (as of 2026-07-21)

Coin Years Silver (ozt) Melt value
Morgan Silver Dollar 1878–1921 0.7734 $45.65
Peace Silver Dollar 1921–1935 0.7734 $45.65
Walking Liberty Half Dollar 1916–1947 0.3617 $21.35
Franklin Half Dollar 1948–1963 0.3617 $21.35
1964 Kennedy Half Dollar 1964 0.3617 $21.35
Kennedy Half Dollar (40% silver) 1965–1970 0.1479 $8.73
Washington Quarter (silver) 1932–1964 0.1808 $10.67
Standing Liberty Quarter 1916–1930 0.1808 $10.67
Mercury Dime 1916–1945 0.0723 $4.27
Roosevelt Dime (silver) 1946–1964 0.0723 $4.27
Jefferson War Nickel 1942–1945 0.0563 $3.32

Metal content only — collector premiums for key dates and high grades come on top. Spot $59.02/ozt.

Frequently asked questions

How do I tell if my coin or flatware is real silver?
Look for marks: US coins dated 1964 or earlier (dimes, quarters, halves) are 90% silver; flatware and jewelry stamped 'sterling', '925' or '800' are solid silver. 'Silverplate', 'EPNS' or 'A1' means plated — a thin layer with no melt value.
What is junk silver?
"Junk" silver is circulated US 90% coinage (pre-1965 dimes, quarters, half dollars) with no collector premium — valued purely for metal content. Every $1 of face value contains about 0.7234 troy oz of silver, worth $42.70 at today's spot.
Are any of these coins worth more than melt?
Sometimes. Key dates, mint errors and high-grade uncirculated pieces carry collector premiums — a common-date circulated Morgan trades near melt plus a few dollars, but rare dates fetch multiples. If a coin looks unusually crisp or has a rare date/mint mark, check a price guide before selling at melt.
How much below melt do buyers pay for silver?
Junk silver often sells at or slightly above melt (it's in demand as fractional bullion), while sterling scrap typically brings 75–90% of melt. As with gold, refiners and coin shops beat kiosks and mail-in buyers by a wide margin.
Why are 1965–1970 Kennedy halves different?
The Coinage Act of 1965 removed silver from dimes and quarters entirely, but half dollars kept a reduced 40% silver content through 1970. They hold 0.1479 ozt each — real value, but well under the 0.3617 ozt in a 1964 half.

Related guides

How Gold Melt Value Works (and Why Dealers Pay Less)Melt value is weight × purity × spot ÷ 31.1035 — the one number to know before selling gold. How karats, troy ounces and dealer margins actually work.How to Sell Scrap Gold Without Getting Ripped OffA step-by-step process: sort by karat, weigh in grams, compute melt value, get two quotes, and the six lowball tactics to watch for.

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Disclaimer: This tool provides educational estimates only — it is not financial, investment, or tax advice. Crypto assets are volatile; past performance does not guarantee future results. See our methodology and full disclaimer.