Coin value · live melt price
Silver Dime Value & Melt Value Today
Dimes dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver and hold 0.0723 troy ounces each. Dimes from 1965 on are copper-nickel, so check the date before anything else.
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Melt value
$0.00
0 troy oz of pure silver
Metal value only, before any dealer spread. Scarce dates and high grades can be worth much more.
Value at today's silver price
| Amount | Pure silver | Melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 coin | 0.072 oz | — |
| Roll of 50 ($5 face) | 3.617 oz | — |
| $100 face value | 72.34 oz | — |
Figures assume full-weight coins. For worn 90% coins the usual rule of thumb is about 0.715 oz per $1 face, about 1% less.
Melt value is the floor
Melt value is what the metal in a coin is worth: its pure silver content times the spot price. A silver dime holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver, so at $60 an ounce its melt value is $4.34. The calculator above uses today's price instead.
That number is the floor. Worn, common-date silver Roosevelt dimes trade as junk silver: bought and sold on their silver content. A scarce date, a rare mint mark or a coin in high grade is priced as a collectible, starting from the floor and going up.
| Coin | Years | Metal | Weight | Pure silver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver dime | 1964 and earlier | 90% silver, 10% copper | 2.50 g | 0.0723 oz |
Roosevelt dimes from 1946 to 1964, Mercury dimes from 1916 to 1945 and older Barber dimes are all 90% silver with the same 0.0723 ounces. Because the dime is the smallest 90% coin, dimes are the easiest way to buy or sell small amounts of junk silver.
Is yours a valuable one? Check these first
Check the date, the mint mark and the condition against this list. If your coin matches a key date or variety, have it looked at by a dealer who handles collector coins before you sell it for melt.
- Dated 1964 or earlier: 90% silver. Circulating dimes from 1965 on are copper-nickel clad; only special S-mint silver proofs differ.
- 1916-D: The key: 264,000 struck. Fakes add a D to a real 1916; a genuine 1916-D mint mark leans with its top to the right.
- 1921 and 1921-D: 1,230,000 and 1,080,000 struck, the lowest after the 1916-D.
- 1942/1 and 1942/1-D: Overdates: part of a 1 shows under the 2. Valuable even worn, rare uncirculated.
Mintages and varieties from APMEX's Mercury dime key dates guide. For current collector prices by grade, check the PCGS Price Guide or the NGC Price Guide. Prices for key dates change often and depend heavily on grade.
What dealers typically pay
Dealers price common silver coins off the silver spot price, so the melt figure above is the number to anchor on. Some shops quote per coin, others per $1 of face value. Before you accept, put the offer into the Coin Offer Checker: it shows the metal value and where the offer sits against typical dealer pay. For a key date or a high-grade coin, ask for an offer on the coin as a collectible, not as silver.
Not sure it's silver?
The Is My Coin Silver? checker takes the denomination and year and tells you the metal, the silver content and the melt value. Selling a mix of coins? The silver coin melt value calculator adds up several types at once, and the junk silver calculator works from face value.
Where to sell
Compare coin dealers near you: what each one buys, and what recent customers say about the offers they got. If this coin is part of a larger collection, read how to sell a coin collection first.
Value pages for other coins
Questions
Which dimes are silver?
Dimes dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver: Roosevelt (1946–1964), Mercury (1916–1945) and Barber dimes. Circulating dimes from 1965 on contain no silver.
How much silver is in a silver dime?
A 90% silver dime weighs 2.5 grams and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver. Ten of them ($1 face) hold about 0.72 ounces when unworn.
How much is a 1964 dime worth?
A worn 1964 dime is worth its melt value: 0.0723 ounces times the silver price, about $4.34 with silver at $60.
How many silver dimes make an ounce?
About 13.8 unworn dimes hold one troy ounce of pure silver. Worn dimes have lost a little metal, so it takes slightly more.
Sources: APMEX, Mercury dime key dates · CoinWeek, silver content of U.S. coins · MetalCharts junk silver guide · U.S. Mint coin specifications (current clad coins) · Coinage Act of 1965. Updated 2026-10-09.