Face value to melt
Junk Silver Calculator (90% & 40% Silver Coins)
Type the face value of your old dimes, quarters and half dollars, or count coins one by one. See the silver in troy ounces, the melt value, and what a dealer's offer works out to as a percent of melt.
Estimated silver price. Enter today's spot price for an exact figure.
How do you want to enter your coins?
Face value is the quickest way to price a roll or a bag.
Quick fill
Dated 1964 or earlier. Add all three denominations together: $1 face could be 10 dimes, 4 quarters or 2 halves. A 1964 Kennedy half counts here.
0.77344 oz each
0.1479 oz each, $0.50 face
0.05626 oz each. Large mint mark above the dome.
Pure silver
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troy ounces
Melt value
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at the spot price above
Dealer offer at 90% of melt
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You set the percent in the dealer panel below.
Enter an amount above, or pick a quick fill.
| Coins | You entered | Silver (troy oz) | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% dimes, quarters, halves | — | — | — |
| 90% silver dollars | — | — | — |
| 40% Kennedy halves | — | — | — |
| 35% war nickels | — | — | — |
| Total | — | — | — |
What will a dealer pay?
Dealers quote junk silver as a share of melt, or as a multiple of face value such as "20x face". Fill in either box and the other updates.
At $60.00 silver, $1 face of 90% coins melts for $42.90. That is 42.90x face.
You set the percent. It is not a prediction. We found no independent survey of dealer pay. The MetalCharts selling guide says most dealers pay 90% to 95% of melt for circulated 90% coins. The CoolStax guide says 70% to 95% of spot, meaning the spot value of the silver in the coins. Neither cites its data. Get two or three quotes.
Enter an offer to compare it with melt.
Offers side by side
| Share of melt | Times face | Offer for your coins |
|---|---|---|
| 70% | 30.03x | — |
| 80% | 34.32x | — |
| 85% | 36.46x | — |
| 90% | 38.61x | — |
| 95% | 40.75x | — |
| 100% | 42.90x | — |
Times face uses 90% dimes, quarters and halves only. It is the number dealers quote per $1 face.
How much silver is in $1 face value?
Dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver and 10% copper. A dime weighs 2.5 grams, a quarter 6.25 grams and a half dollar 12.5 grams. So $1 face value in any of them weighs 25 grams, and 90% of that is 22.5 grams of silver, or 0.7234 troy ounces. Ten dimes, four quarters and two half dollars hold the same silver.
Common amounts at 0.715 ounces per $1 face, priced at the silver price and offer percent set above.
| Amount | Silver (troy oz) | Melt value | At 90% of melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 face | 0.715 | $42.90 | $38.61 |
| Roll of dimes50 coins, $5 face | 3.575 | $214.50 | $193.05 |
| Roll of quarters40 coins, $10 face | 7.15 | $429.00 | $386.10 |
| Roll of half dollars20 coins, $10 face | 7.15 | $429.00 | $386.10 |
| $100 face | 71.5 | $4,290.00 | $3,861.00 |
| $1,000 face bagabout 55 pounds | 715 | $42,900.00 | $38,610.00 |
Every $1 move in the silver price changes the value of a $1,000 face bag by $715.
Why this calculator uses 0.715, not 0.7234
0.7234 is what a new coin holds. Circulated coins have lost some metal to wear, so the trade uses 0.715 ounces per $1 face, about 1.2% less. It is a convention, not a measurement, and one bag can run a little above or below it. Tick the uncirculated box only for coins that never circulated. A $1,000 face bag holds about 715 troy ounces and weighs about 55 pounds.
Silver per $1 face, by coin type
War nickels hold the most silver per dollar of face, because a 5-cent coin weighs 5 grams.
| Coins | Per coin (troy oz) | Per $1 face (troy oz) | Melt per $1 face |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% dimes, quarters, halves1964 and earlier | 0.0723 / 0.1808 / 0.3617 | 0.7150.7234 when new | $42.90 |
| 90% silver dollarsMorgan 1878-1921, Peace 1921-1935 | 0.7734 | 0.7734 | $46.41 |
| 40% Kennedy halves1965-1970 | 0.1479 | 0.2958 | $17.75 |
| 35% war nickels1942-1945 | 0.0563 | 1.1252 | $67.51 |
A 1964 Kennedy half is 90% silver and goes in the first row.
How to read a "times face" quote
Dealers quote 90% coins as a multiple of face value. "20x face" means $20 for each $1 of face, so $100 face would bring $2,000. To compare a quote with melt, divide it by melt per $1 face. That is 0.715 times the spot price.
Here is an example. With silver at $30, melt is 21.45x face. A quote of 19x face is 88.6% of melt. With silver at $40, melt is 28.6x face, and the same 19x is only 66.4% of melt. A times-face quote is good for one silver price only, so ask which spot price the dealer used. The dealer panel above does this conversion for you.
What dealers pay for junk silver
Treat every figure as a range. The MetalCharts selling guide says most dealers pay 90% to 95% of melt for 90% coins in average circulated condition. The CoolStax junk silver guide says to expect 70% to 95% of spot, depending on the dealer and the market. Neither cites a survey, so use them as a starting point, not a promise. CoolStax also notes that some dealers count by face value and others weigh the coins.
Before you sell
- Sort out the clad. Dimes and quarters from circulation dated 1965 or later have no silver. The Coinage Act of 1965 took silver out of them and cut the half dollar to 40%.
- Check the date and mint mark on anything old. Some coins sell above melt. The is my coin silver tool shows what each date holds.
- Ask each buyer how they count: by face value or by weight, and what spot price they use.
- Get at least two quotes, each as a percent of melt or a multiple of face.
Next steps
- Holding Morgans, Peace dollars or single coins? Try the silver coin melt value calculator.
- Already have an offer in hand? Run it through the coin offer checker.
- Ready to sell? Compare coin dealers near you and read how to sell a coin collection.
Questions
How much silver is in $1 face value of junk silver?
About 0.715 troy ounces for circulated 90% dimes, quarters and half dollars. A new coin holds 0.7234 ounces per $1 face, and the trade uses 0.715 to allow for wear. Ten dimes, four quarters or two half dollars each hold the same amount.
How do you calculate the value of junk silver?
Multiply the face value by 0.715 to get troy ounces of silver, then multiply by the silver spot price. For example, $100 face is 71.5 ounces, which is worth $3,575 when silver is $50 an ounce. That is melt value, before any dealer discount.
What does "times face" mean when buying or selling junk silver?
Dealers quote 90% coins as a multiple of face value. "20x face" means $20 for each $1 of face. Divide the multiple by 0.715 times the silver spot price to see what percent of melt it is.
What do coin dealers pay for junk silver?
We found no independent survey. MetalCharts says most dealers pay 90% to 95% of melt for circulated 90% coins, and CoolStax says 70% to 95% of spot. Neither cites its data, so ask each dealer for the offer as a percent of melt and get two or three quotes.
Which U.S. coins count as junk silver?
Dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver. Kennedy half dollars dated 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver, and nickels dated 1942 to 1945 with a large mint mark above Monticello are 35% silver. Morgan and Peace dollars are 90% silver too, but check the date, because some carry a collector premium.
Is a 1964 Kennedy half dollar silver?
Yes. The 1964 Kennedy half is 90% silver and weighs 12.5 grams, so count it with your 90% coins. Kennedy halves dated 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver and go in their own box.
Sources: Roosevelt dime (Wikipedia) · Washington quarter (Wikipedia) · Kennedy half dollar (Wikipedia) · Morgan dollar (Wikipedia) · Peace dollar (Wikipedia) · Jefferson nickel (Wikipedia) · Coinage Act of 1965 (Wikipedia) · Coin wrapper (Wikipedia) · MetalCharts junk silver guide · MetalCharts: where to sell silver · CoolStax 90% junk silver guide. Updated 2026-10-09.