Is It US Silver?
Americans carried real silver in their pockets right up to 1964. Dimes, quarters and halves from back then still turn up in jars, estate lots and the occasional roll from the bank. Here's how to tell if yours is one of them.
The short answer
If it's a US dime, quarter or half dollar dated 1964 or earlier, it's 90% silver. Kennedy halves dated 1965 to 1970 still carry 40% silver. Nickels from 1942 to 1945 with a big mint mark over Monticello are 35% silver. Morgan and Peace dollars are 90% silver. Ike dollars? Only the collector ones. More on those below.
America's silver century
- 1878: George T. Morgan's silver dollar debuts. Collectors just call it the Morgan.
- 1892: Charles E. Barber's Liberty Head designs land on the dime, quarter and half.
- 1916: The big redesign year. The "Mercury" dime, Standing Liberty quarter and Walking Liberty half all show up.
- 1918: The Pittman Act sends 270,232,722 silver dollars to the melting pot.
- 1921: The Morgan's last year of the original run, and the Peace dollar arrives.
- 1932: The Washington quarter debuts.
- 1942: Nickels go 35% silver to save nickel for the war. They stay that way through 1945.
- 1946: The Roosevelt dime debuts.
- 1948: The Franklin half arrives.
- 1964: The Kennedy half debuts, and it's the last year of 90% silver in circulation.
- 1965: The Coinage Act of 1965 switches dimes and quarters to copper-nickel clad. Halves drop to 40% silver.
- 1971: Halves go fully clad. The silver Ike dollar is made for collectors only.
- 1976: 40% silver Bicentennial sets, with the dual date 1776–1976.
1965 to 1970: flip it on its side
Silver was getting too pricey to spend, so the US took it out of pocket change in 1965. The dates tell you most of the story, but the edge tells you the rest.
The edge test
Turn the coin on its side and look at the edge:
- Solid silver all the way around: 90% silver. Let's go.
- A faint, whitish stripe: 40% silver. That's your 1965–1970 Kennedy half.
- A bright copper stripe: clad. Sorry, bud.
Heads up: the magnet trick from our Canadian guide won't help here. US clad coins aren't magnetic either, so the edge is your best friend.
Silver by coin and year
The US used three silver mixes in everyday coins: 90% up to 1964, 40% on some halves and dollars, and 35% on the wartime nickels.
| Coin | 90% silver | 40% silver | 35% silver | No silver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5¢ | — | — | 1942–1945 (big mint mark) | other years |
| 10¢ | 1964 and earlier | — | — | 1965 on |
| 25¢ | 1964 and earlier | 1976 Bicentennial sets | — | 1965 on |
| 50¢ | 1964 and earlier | 1965–1970, 1976 Bicentennial sets | — | 1971 on |
| $1 | Morgan & Peace | 1971–1976 collector Ikes | — | circulation Ikes and later |
Collector exception: from 1992 the Mint also made silver proof sets with 90% silver dimes, quarters and halves, switching to .999 silver in 2019.
How much silver is actually in there?
The pure silver inside each coin, in troy ounces:
| Coin | 90% era | 40% era | 35% era |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5¢ | — | — | 0.0563 oz |
| 10¢ | 0.0723 oz | — | — |
| 25¢ | 0.1808 oz | — | — |
| 50¢ | 0.3617 oz | 0.1479 oz | — |
| $1 | 0.7734 oz | 0.3162 oz | — |
Collector cheat code: ten 90% dimes ≈ 0.72 oz, ten quarters ≈ 1.8 oz, ten halves ≈ 3.6 oz.
Fun facts for the hunt
- Only 264,000 Mercury dimes were struck at Denver in 1916. The 1916-D is the key to the whole series.
- The wartime nickels were the first US coins to carry a P mint mark for Philadelphia.
- The 1895 Morgan from Philadelphia is known only as a proof, with about 880 struck.
Keep learning
- Silver Dollars of the USA: Morgans, Peace dollars and silver Ikes.
- America's Small Silver: halves, quarters, dimes and war nickels.
- Is My Canadian Coin Silver?: the Canadian version of this guide.
Skip the coin jar and start the collection: shop our US silver coins.