Coin melt value calculator for 90% and 40% silver dimes, quarters, halves, and dollars. Enter quantity and spot price to get silver content and melt value.
Coin Melt Value Formula
A coin’s melt value is its actual silver content multiplied by the spot price:
MV = ASW * Spot * Q
For a custom coin, the silver weight comes from its gross weight and purity:
ASW = (Wg / 31.1035) * Purity
Variables:
- MV is the total melt value ($)
- ASW is the actual silver weight per coin in troy ounces
- Spot is the silver spot price per troy ounce ($)
- Q is the number of coins
- Wg is the coin’s gross weight in grams, and 31.1035 converts grams to troy ounces
- Purity is the silver fineness as a decimal (0.90 for 90% coin silver)
Pick a coin type – the calculator has the standard silver weights for pre-1965 dimes, quarters, and halves, 40% halves, silver dollars, war nickels, and Silver Eagles built in – then enter how many you have and the current spot price. It returns the melt value per coin and in total, the total troy ounces of silver, the face value, and how many times face the melt value represents.
Silver Content of U.S. Coins
| Coin | Years | Silver (troy oz) | Melt at $30/oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% silver dime | 1964 & earlier | 0.0723 | $2.17 |
| 90% silver quarter | 1964 & earlier | 0.1808 | $5.42 |
| 90% silver half dollar | 1964 & earlier | 0.3617 | $10.85 |
| 40% silver half dollar | 1965-1970 | 0.1479 | $4.44 |
| 90% silver dollar (Morgan/Peace) | 1878-1935 | 0.7734 | $23.20 |
| 35% war nickel | 1942-1945 | 0.0563 | $1.69 |
| American Silver Eagle | 1986-present | 0.999 | $29.97 |
A useful shorthand for 90% coinage: $1.00 of face value in any mix of dimes, quarters, or halves contains about 0.715 troy ounces of silver.
Example Problems
Example 1: A roll of silver quarters.
You have 40 pre-1965 quarters with silver at $30.00 per ounce.
MV = 0.1808 * 30 * 40 = $216.96 – about 21.7x the $10 face value, containing 7.23 troy ounces of silver.
Example 2: A custom foreign coin.
A coin weighs 25 grams at 80% purity with spot at $28.00.
ASW = 25 / 31.1035 * 0.80 = 0.643 troy oz. MV = 0.643 * 28 = $18.00 per coin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the calculator’s value different from what a dealer offers?
Dealers buy below melt and sell above it – the spread is their margin. Common “junk silver” typically trades within a few percent of melt, while coins with numismatic (collector) value can command far more than their silver content. Melt value is the floor, not the price.
Which everyday coins actually contain silver?
For U.S. coinage: dimes, quarters, and halves dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver; half dollars from 1965-1970 are 40%; nickels from 1942-1945 with a large mintmark above Monticello are 35%. Anything later from circulation is copper-nickel with no silver.
Do worn coins contain less silver?
Slightly. The standard weights assume average circulation wear; heavily worn coins can lose a few percent of their metal. Dealers price bulk junk silver by weight partly for this reason, so treat per-coin figures as close estimates.
