Silver Melt Value Calculator
Find the silver value in 90% coins, war nickels, Kennedy halves, bars and rounds. Count the coins or weigh them, add the current spot price, and the estimate appears below.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by appointment
Estimate the silver you have
Enter a weight, or count coins with the optional helper. Then choose the silver purity and type in a current spot price.
The spot price changes throughout the trading day. Please enter the figure currently quoted for silver.
Estimated melt value
Enter a weight and a spot price, then press Calculate.
This is an estimate of metal content, not an offer. A purchase offer depends on testing, confirmed purity and weight, market conditions, the buyer's margin, and any collector value.
How silver melt value is worked out
Weight, silver share and spot. The calculator does nothing more than this.
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Weigh it or count it
Enter the weight in grams or troy ounces, or use the coin helper to turn a count of dimes, quarters, halves or dollars into grams.
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Keep only the silver
Multiply by the silver share: 0.90 for pre-1965 coin, 0.40 for 1965 to 1970 Kennedy halves, 0.35 for war nickels and 0.999 for bullion.
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Multiply by spot
Troy ounces of pure silver times the spot price per troy ounce is the melt value, before any buying or refining costs.
A worked example
Ten dimes dated 1964 or earlier weigh 25 grams, and 90% of that is 22.5 grams of silver, or 0.7234 troy ounce.
At a spot price of thirty dollars an ounce, those ten dimes hold about twenty-one dollars and seventy cents of silver.
Silver per coin and per dollar of face value
These are the figures behind the coin helper. The last column lets you count a roll or a larger group by its face value instead of coin by coin.
| Coin | Weight | Silver share | Per coin | Per dollar of face |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dime, 1964 or earlier | 2.50 g | 90% | 0.0723 | 0.7234 |
| Quarter, 1964 or earlier | 6.25 g | 90% | 0.1808 | 0.7234 |
| Half dollar, 1964 or earlier | 12.50 g | 90% | 0.3617 | 0.7234 |
| Kennedy half, 1965 to 1970 | 11.50 g | 40% | 0.1479 | 0.2958 |
| War nickel, 1942 to 1945 | 5.00 g | 35% | 0.0563 | 1.1253 |
| Morgan or Peace dollar, original series | 26.73 g | 90% | 0.7734 | 0.7734 |
Worn coins weigh less
Decades in pockets rub metal away. For circulated 90% coin, many in the trade work from about 0.715 troy ounce per dollar of face value rather than the 0.7234 of new coins.
Counting by face value
A roll of fifty pre-1965 dimes is five dollars of face value, so it holds about 3.6 troy ounces of silver when new. Twenty war nickels make a dollar of face.
Bars, rounds and Silver Eagles
Bullion is the easy case. The stamp gives the weight of fine silver, so choose .999 fine bullion and enter what the stamp says.
- One-ounce pieces. An American Silver Eagle or a one-ounce round: enter 1 troy ounce.
- Larger bars. A ten-ounce or hundred-ounce bar goes in as 10 or 100 troy ounces.
- Gram bars. Choose grams and enter the stamped figure.
- Modern Morgan and Peace dollars. Those dated 2021 or later are .999 fine. Enter 26.73 grams with .999 fine bullion, not the 90% coin setting.
Makers, assay cards and sizes are covered on our bullion page.
Where melt value stops
The calculator sees silver as metal and nothing else. These are the places where that falls short.
Usually valued by the metal
- Well-circulated dimes, quarters and halves from common dates
- Kennedy halves from 1965 to 1970 pulled from circulation
- Generic bars and rounds
Metal may be only the start
- Morgan and Peace dollars with sharp detail or scarce mint letters
- Key dates such as scarce Mercury dimes or early Standing Liberty quarters
- Proof sets and uncirculated rolls still in their original packaging
Which coins are worth a closer look is covered on our silver coins page. For whole albums and larger holdings, see selling a coin collection. Everything else is on our page about selling silver.
Would you like an offer for your silver?
Call or send a request to arrange a time. A rough count of rolls, dollars and bars helps us plan the appointment.
Questions about the silver calculator
How do I tell a silver war nickel from a regular one?
Turn it over. Silver wartime nickels carry a large P, D or S mint letter above the dome of Monticello. Nickels without that big letter hold no silver.
Are my 1965 and later dimes and quarters worth melt?
Not as silver. Dimes and quarters from 1965 on that come from circulation are copper and nickel, so there is nothing to count. Kennedy halves are the exception, at 40% silver through 1970. Silver proof sets and the 1976-S bicentennial silver coins are different: the dimes, quarters and halves in silver proof sets are 90% silver, or .999 from 2019, and the 1976-S silver coins are 40% silver. Please keep them apart, in their packaging.
Should I enter grams or troy ounces?
Whichever your scale or stamp gives you. Bars and rounds are usually marked in troy ounces, and most digital scales read grams. Pick the matching unit and the math takes care of the rest.
Is anything I enter here sent to you?
No. None of the numbers you enter are sent to us. When you would like us to look at the silver, the evaluation request is at the foot of the page.
Visit us in Lowell
- Address
- 107 S Lincoln St A, Lowell, AR 72745
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by appointment
- Where we meet
- At our Lowell shop, your home or a secure location such as your bank
- Bring
- A photo ID and the items you want us to look at
A purchase evaluation is not a formal written appraisal for insurance, probate or tax purposes.
Tell us about your items
If you would rather speak with us, please call (479) 250-1954. Or share a few details here, and we will call you during business hours to arrange a time.