If you have a jar of old change, a coin folder from a grandparent or a roll of dimes from the back of a drawer, the date on each coin answers most of the silver question. United States dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier were struck in 90 percent silver. The Coinage Act of 1965 took silver out of circulating dimes and quarters entirely and cut it back in the half dollar.
This guide gives you the dates for each coin, a quick way to sort a pile in a few minutes, and an honest picture of when a silver coin is worth its silver and when it may be worth more.
The quick date check
Start by sorting by denomination, then read the date on each coin. This table covers what turns up most often.
| Coin | Silver content | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Dime | 90 percent silver | 1964 and earlier |
| Dime | No silver, copper nickel clad | 1965 and later circulating coins |
| Quarter | 90 percent silver | 1964 and earlier |
| Quarter | No silver, copper nickel clad | 1965 and later circulating coins |
| Half dollar | 90 percent silver | 1964 and earlier, including the 1964 Kennedy half |
| Half dollar | 40 percent silver | Kennedy halves dated 1965 through 1970 |
| Half dollar | No silver, copper nickel clad | 1971 and later circulating coins |
| Morgan dollar | 90 percent silver | 1878 through 1904, and 1921 |
| Peace dollar | 90 percent silver | 1921 through 1935 |
| Eisenhower dollar | Circulating coins have no silver; collector versions are silver clad | First struck in 1971 |
| Jefferson “war nickel” | 35 percent silver | Late 1942 through 1945, with a large mint mark above Monticello |
A few notes on the rows that confuse people.
The 1964 line. For dimes and quarters, the line is simple: 1964 or earlier is silver, 1965 or later from circulation is not. Roosevelt dimes started in 1946 and Washington quarters in 1932, so a Roosevelt dime or Washington quarter dated 1964 or earlier is 90 percent silver. Older designs, such as Mercury dimes and the Liberty quarters that came before Washington, are earlier still, and so are silver too. The one exception to the 1965 cutoff is collector sets. The Mint has sold silver proof sets with later dates, and since 2019 the coins in those sets have been .999 fine silver, so a later dated coin still sealed in Mint packaging is worth checking.
Kennedy half dollars. The Kennedy half was first issued in 1964, and that first year was 90 percent silver. The Mint announced the 1965 version would contain 40 percent silver, and silver was removed from the half dollar entirely in 1971. So a Kennedy half dated 1965 through 1970 is 40 percent silver, and one dated 1971 or later from circulation has none.
Silver dollars. Morgan and Peace dollars are the large, heavy coins most people mean when they say “silver dollar,” and the original issues are 90 percent silver. Since 2021 the Mint has also struck new Morgan and Peace dollars for collectors in .999 fine silver, so a crisp Morgan or Peace dollar with a recent date is a modern collector coin rather than an old one. Eisenhower dollars from the 1970s look similar in size, but the ones that circulated are copper nickel. The Mint also made silver clad Eisenhower dollars for collectors, and the two versions are easy to confuse, so any Eisenhower dollar that did not come out of pocket change is worth a closer look.
War nickels. During World War II, the Mint took nickel out of the five cent coin and used an alloy of 35 percent silver, 56 percent copper and 9 percent manganese, starting in late 1942 and running through 1945. These coins carry a large mint mark, P, D or S, above the dome of Monticello on the reverse. Wartime nickels from Philadelphia were the first United States coins to carry a P mint mark. A 1942 nickel without the large mark above the dome is the regular copper nickel version.
Check the edge
If a date is worn or you want a second check, look at the edge of the coin. Modern dimes, quarters and half dollars are clad, meaning layers of copper nickel over a copper core, and the copper shows as a reddish stripe on the edge. A 90 percent silver dime or quarter has a solid silver colored edge with no copper stripe.
The edge check is quick, but use it alongside the date, not instead of it. Kennedy halves from 1965 through 1970 are also built in layers, with silver in both the outer layers and the core, so the date is the more reliable way to tell those apart.
What people mean by “junk silver”
You will see the phrase “junk silver” used for common pre 1965 coins. It does not mean the coins are worthless. It means the silver in the coin is worth more than any collector premium on that particular coin, so it trades for its metal content. A worn 1964 Roosevelt dime is a typical example.
People also call the same group “90 percent silver.” Whatever the name, the value of a common silver coin moves with the silver market and depends on how much silver the coin holds. A half dollar holds more silver than a quarter, and a quarter more than a dime.
Silver value versus collector value
Not every old silver coin is junk silver. Some dates, mint marks and well preserved coins are worth more to collectors than their silver content. The coin’s date, the small mint mark letter, its condition and its rarity all matter, and any one of them can put two coins of the same design far apart.
This is why sorting by date is a first step, not the last one. A pile of worn 1950s dimes is probably a silver content conversation. A Morgan dollar in sharp condition, a coin with an unusual mint mark or anything that looks barely circulated should be looked at as a coin first. Our guide to what your coins are worth explains how collector value and metal value fit together.
Sorting a jar or a folder at home
A first pass at home helps you understand what you have. Treat it as a way to learn, not a way to decide what stays behind: bring everything, including coins you think are not silver, because the coin that gets left at home is sometimes the one that mattered.
- Separate by denomination. Dimes, quarters, half dollars, dollars and nickels in their own piles.
- Pull the silver dates. Dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier go in a silver pile. Kennedy halves dated 1965 through 1970 go in their own 40 percent pile.
- Check the nickels. Look for a large mint mark above the dome of Monticello on nickels dated 1942 through 1945.
- Set aside anything that looks special. Coins with little wear, unusual dates or original Mint packaging get their own pile.
- Do not clean or polish anything. Grading services label cleaned coins as cleaned, which lowers what a collector will pay, and cleaning adds nothing to silver value. Leave coins as you found them.
- Keep folders and holders intact. If coins are in an album, a Mint set or a holder, leave them there. The packaging can help identify them.
If you also find old paper money in the same box, our guide to whether silver certificates are worth anything covers those separately. They are currency, not silver coins, and they are valued differently.
Bringing coins to Clark Pawners & Jewelers
Bring the whole lot, sorted or not, along with any folders, holders or paperwork. We buy Morgan dollars and older United States silver coinage, and we will look through what you bring and tell you what we see, including anything that deserves a look for collector value before metal value. Our coin buyers in Chicago page explains how we handle single coins, inherited jars and full collections.
Questions people ask about old silver coins
Not all of them. Dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier are 90 percent silver. Pennies are not silver, and nickels are only silver if they are wartime nickels from 1942 through 1945 with the large mint mark above Monticello.
A 1965 quarter from circulation is not silver. The Coinage Act of 1965 replaced silver in dimes and quarters with copper nickel clad, and you can usually see the copper stripe on the edge.
Some are. The 1964 Kennedy half is 90 percent silver. Kennedy halves dated 1965 through 1970 are 40 percent silver. Circulating Kennedy halves from 1971 on contain no silver.
Original Morgan and Peace dollars are 90 percent silver, and the Mint’s modern collector versions from 2021 on are .999 fine silver. Circulating Eisenhower dollars from the 1970s are copper nickel, though the Mint also made silver clad versions for collectors. If a dollar matters to you, have it checked in person rather than relying on looks alone.
No. Professional grading services mark cleaned coins as cleaned, which lowers their collector value, and cleaning does nothing for silver value. Bring coins as they are, in whatever holders they came in.
Have your coins sorted in Lincoln Park
Bring your coins to our Lincoln Park store and we will go through them with you, piece by piece. An evaluation is information, not a commitment, and you are free to take everything home.
Clark Pawners & Jewelers
2626 N Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614
773-528-7900
