Coin Silver Price

About coin silver

Coin silver is silver alloyed to about 90% purity, the standard US dimes, quarters, half dollars and silver dollars were struck in until 1964. In the 18th and 19th centuries, American silversmiths also melted coins to make spoons and holloware, often stamped COIN or PURE COIN; their fineness varies but is usually close to 90%.

For US coins you don't need a scale: each coin's silver content is fixed by law. The silver coin calculator below counts coins instead of weighing them.

Coin silver price per gram = silver spot price per gram × 0.900. The live coin silver price per gram and per ounce is at the top of this page.

How to calculate the value of silver

Most silver items are an alloy, so only part of their weight is silver. Melt value is the pure silver they contain, priced at the spot price:

pure silver (g)  = weight (g) × purity     (sterling = 0.925)
price per gram   = spot price per troy oz ÷ 31.1035
melt value       = pure silver (g) × price per gram

So a sterling silver serving spoon weighing 80 grams holds 80 × 92.5% = 74 grams of pure silver, and its melt value is 74 times today's silver price per gram. That's the floor for what the silver is worth. Antique and designer pieces can sell for far more, and a scrap buyer's offer usually sits below it.

How to use the silver calculator

1. 1

   Find the purity mark

   Look on the back of a spoon handle, the base of a piece or inside a ring: 925 or STERLING, 999, 900 or COIN. Pick it in the purity menu.

2. 2

   Weigh the item

   A jewelry or kitchen scale in grams is fine. Troy ounces, kitchen-scale ounces, pennyweight, kilograms and tola are all supported.

3. 3

   Subtract anything that isn't silver

   Steel knife blades, wooden handles, stones and the filling in weighted candlesticks add weight but no silver. Enter their weight so they're left out.

4. 4

   Read the melt value

   The calculator multiplies the pure silver content by the live spot price. Add a price you were offered to see how it compares.

Frequently asked questions

How much is coin silver worth per gram?

Coin silver is 90% pure silver, so one gram of it is worth 0.900 × today's price of a gram of pure silver. The live coin silver price per gram is at the top of this page and refreshes every minute; switch the currency to see it in euros, pounds, rupees and 14 other currencies.

How do I calculate the value of coin silver?

Weigh the piece in grams, subtract anything that isn't silver (blades, handles, stones, fillings), then multiply by 0.900 to get grams of pure silver. Multiply that by the spot price per gram for its melt value. The calculator above does all of it once you enter the weight.

What does a 900 stamp mean?

It's the fineness mark for coin silver: parts of pure silver per 1,000. A piece stamped 900 is 90% silver. Marks can be wrong or fake, so an acid or XRF test is the way to confirm purity before selling.

Which US coins are 90% silver?

Dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier, and silver dollars such as the Morgan and Peace dollars, are 90% silver. Kennedy half dollars from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver, and 1942–1945 'war nickels' are 35% silver. Use the silver coin calculator to value them by count.