America's Small Silver
Before 1965, America's pocket change was the real deal. Four coins, a whole lineup of legendary designs, and some serious key dates to hunt.
Jump to: Half dollars · Quarters · Dimes · War nickels
50¢: Half dollars
The heavyweight of US small silver. With more than a third of an ounce of silver inside, a pre-1965 half has real heft in your hand.
| Silver | 1964 and earlier (90%); 1965–1970 (40%) |
| Weight | 12.50 g (90%), 11.50 g (40%) |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.36 oz (90%), 0.15 oz (40%) |
Four designs
Barber (1892–1915), Walking Liberty by Adolph Weinman (1916–1947), Franklin by John R. Sinnock (1948–1963) and Kennedy (1964 on), with Gilroy Roberts on the front and Frank Gasparro on the back. The Walker gets our vote for best-looking coin America ever made.
The 40% years
Halves kept some silver after dimes and quarters lost theirs. Kennedys dated 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. Flip one over and look for the faint, whitish edge.
Dates to hunt
- 1921-D Walker: only 208,000 made. The key of the series.
- 1921-S Walker: only 548,000 made.
- 1955 Franklin: only 2,498,181 made, the lowest of any Franklin for circulation.
- 1964 Kennedy: the only 90% silver Kennedy made for circulation.
Shop the US half dollar bundle.
25¢: Quarters
Three designs, a first-year coin with only 52,000 made, and the Washington portrait that's still on the quarter today.
| Silver | 1964 and earlier (90%) |
| Weight | 6.25 g |
| Diameter | 24.26 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.18 oz |
Three designs
Barber (1892–1916), Standing Liberty by Hermon MacNeil (1916–1930) and Washington by John Flanagan (1932 on).
Dates to hunt
- 1916 Standing Liberty: only 52,000 made. The key of the series.
- 1932-D Washington: only 436,800 made.
- 1932-S Washington: only 408,000 made, the lowest of the pair.
Shop the US quarter bundle.
10¢: Dimes
Small, affordable and packed with history. A silver dime makes a perfect first US silver coin.
| Silver | 1964 and earlier (90%) |
| Weight | 2.50 g |
| Diameter | 17.91 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.07 oz |
Three designs
Barber (1892–1916), the "Mercury" dime by Adolph Weinman (1916–1945) and Roosevelt by John R. Sinnock (1946 on). The "Mercury" nickname stuck, but the coin's official name is the Winged Liberty Head.
The classic challenge
Try to find every date of the silver Roosevelt dime from 1946 to 1964. It's the classic US date run, and it makes a sick little display once it's done.
Dates to hunt
- 1916-D Mercury: only 264,000 made. The key to the whole series.
- 1964: the last year of the 90% silver dime.
Shop the US dime bundle.
5¢: War nickels
During World War II, nickel was needed for the war effort, so the Mint pulled it out of the 5¢ coin and put silver in. The result: a nickel with silver inside, and a mint mark big enough to spot from across the room.
| Silver | 1942–1945 (35%) |
| Weight | 5.00 g |
| Diameter | 21.21 mm |
| Silver inside | about 0.056 oz |
How to spot one
Flip it over. War nickels carry a big P, D or S mint mark above Monticello. It was the first time a P mint mark ever appeared on a US coin.
Dates to hunt
- Any 1942–1945 with the big mint mark: every one has silver.
- The P mint mark: a piece of US mint history in every Philadelphia war nickel.
Browse our US coins and sets.
Start your collection
Pull a handful of pre-1965 silver, sort by date and see which designs you've got. Browse all our US silver coins, check if your own coins are silver with Is It US Silver?, or head north with Canada's Small Silver.