Hard to believe that there was a period that the circulating coins we used had silver and gold content. There was even a time when silver was included in various coins from the Three Cent Pieces to the Dollar. Today, we only find silver in special collector coins and Commemoratives. Let’s go through the history of Silver Coins in the United States.
Early Silver Coins
Back in Colonial Times, people used silver and gold coins from European nations. One of the most common coins used was the silver Spanish Dollar, also known as a Real or a piece of eight.
After the United States became it owns nation, one of the things that needed to be done was to produce its own coinage. The Coinage Act of 1792 would introduce a US Mint to be built in Philadelphia and a new US coinage system. The Half Dime (5 cent piece), Dime, Quarter, Half Dollar and Dollar coins would all include silver. With the Spanish Dollar being popular, the US would make their dollar similar in weight and would become the monetary standard. Back then, silver coins contained 89.24% silver. By 1837, the content of silver for all silver coins would be increased to 90% which they would remain until 1964.
End Of Silver In US Coins
When the US endured depressions including 1873 and 1929, silver and gold were threatened to be removed from US coins, but silver coins wouldn’t go away, at least until the 1960s. The price of silver was on the increase and people were starting to hoard their silver coins instead of spending them. The US Government was even considering bringing back the Morgan Dollar or Peace Dollar
in 1964, but neither would make it. As a result, the Coinage Act of 1965 would finally remove silver from US coins. The exception being the Kennedy Half Dollar
which would contain 40% silver from 1965 to 1970. With silver 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollars only available in Mint Sets, the 1969-D Half Dollar would be the last circulating coin to contain any silver.
With the 1970s came a new dollar for the first time in 36 years, the Eisenhower Dollar, which would be the first US dollar without silver, at least for the public. The Mint would release 40% silver Eisenhower Dollars for collectors between 1971 – 1976.
There would be special coinage and commemoratives that would contain silver, but it wouldn’t return to the Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter and Kennedy Half Dollar until 1992, and they would only be included in Proof Sets.
Silver Coin Content Table
As you can use this table to see how much silver each coin contained, you can also determine the melt value or minimum value of each coin by multiplying the current Silver Price per ounce by the number in the Silver (oz) column below.
| Coin | Type | Date | Diameter (mm) |
Composition | Weight (g) |
Silver (oz) |
| Three Cent | Silver | 1851-1853 | 14 | 0.75 Silver, 0.25 Copper | 0.8 | 0.0193 |
| Three Cent | Silver | 1854-1873 | 14 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 0.75 | 0.0218 |
| Nickel | Jefferson (Wartime) |
1942-1945 | 21.2 | 0.56 Copper, 0.35 Silver, 0.09 Manganese |
5 | 0.05625 |
| Half Dime | Flowing Hair | 1794-1795 | 16.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 1.35 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Draped Bust | 1796-1805 | 16.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 1.35 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Capped Bust | 1829-1837 | 15.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 1.35 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Liberty Seated | 1837-1853 | 15.5 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 1.34 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 15.5 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 1.24 | 0.0362 |
| Dime | Draped Bust | 1796-1807 | 19 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 2.7 | 0.0775 |
| Dime | Capped Bust | 1809-1837 | 18.8 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 2.7 | 0.0775 |
| Dime | Liberty Seated | 1837-1853 | 17.9 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 2.67 | 0.0775 |
| Dime | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 17.9 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 2.49 | 0.0721 |
| Dime | Liberty Seated | 1873-1891 | 17.9 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Dime | Barber | 1892-1916 | 17.9 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Dime | Mercury | 1916-1945 | 17.9 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Dime | Roosevelt | 1946-1964 | 17.9 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Twenty Cent | Seated Liberty | 1875-1878 | 22 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 5 | 0.1447 |
| Quarter | Draped Bust | 1796-1807 | 27.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 6.74 | 0.19350 |
| Quarter | Capped Bust | 1815-1828 | 27 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 6.74 | 0.1935 |
| Quarter | Capped Bust | 1831-1838 | 24.3 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 6.74 | 0.1935 |
| Quarter | Liberty Seated | 1838-1853 | 24.3 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 6.68 | 0.1934 |
| Quarter | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 24.3 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 6.22 | 0.18 |
| Quarter | Liberty Seated | 1873-1891 | 24.3 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 6.25 | 0.18084 |
| Quarter | Barber | 1892-1916 | 24.3 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 6.25 | 0.18084 |
| Quarter | Standing Liberty | 1916-1930 | 24.3 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 6.25 | 0.18084 |
| Quarter | Washington | 1932-1964 | 24.3 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 6.25 | 0.18084 |
| Half Dollar | Flowing Hair | 1794-1795 | 32.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 13.48 | 0.3869 |
| Half Dollar | Draped Bust | 1796-1807 | 32.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 13.48 | 0.3869 |
| Half Dollar | Capped Bust | 1807-1836 | 32.5 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 13.48 | 0.3869 |
| Half Dollar | Capped Bust | 1836-1839 | 30 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 13.36 | 0.3867 |
| Half Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1838-1853 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 13.36 | 0.3867 |
| Half Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 12.44 | 0.36 |
| Half Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1873-1891 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 12.5 | 0.36169 |
| Half Dollar | Barber | 1892-1916 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 12.5 | 0.36169 |
| Half Dollar | Walking Liberty | 1916-1947 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 12.5 | 0.36169 |
| Half Dollar | Franklin | 1948-1963 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 12.5 | 0.36169 |
| Half Dollar | Kennedy | 1964 | 30.6 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 12.5 | 0.36169 |
| Half Dollar | Kennedy | 1965-1970 | 30.6 | Clad: 0.8, Silver 0.2 Copper Core: 0.209 Silver, 0.791 Copper |
11.5 | 0.1489 |
| Dollar | Flowing Hair | 1794-1795 | 40 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 26.96 | 0.7737 |
| Dollar | Draped Bust | 1795-1804 | 40 | 0.8924 Silver, 0.1076 Copper | 26.96 | 0.7737 |
| Dollar | Gobrecht | 1836-1839 | 38.1 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 26.73 | 0.7736 |
| Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1840-1873 | 38.1 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 24.057 | 0.77344 |
| Dollar | Trade Dollar | 1873-1885 | 38.1 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 27.22 | 0.78780 |
| Dollar | Morgan | 1878-1921 | 38.1 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 26.73 | 0.77344 |
| Dollar | Peace Dollar | 1921-1935 | 38.1 | 0.9 Silver, 0.1 Copper | 26.73 | 0.77344 |
| Dollar | Eisenhower | 1971- 1976 | 38.1 | Clad: 0.8 Silver, 0.2 Copper Core: 0.209 Silver, 0.791 Copper |
24.59 | 0.3161 |
| Dollar | American Eagle | 1986- | 40.6 | 0.9993 Silver 0.0007 Copper | 31.10 | 1.00000 |
There Are Many US Coins With Silver
I read somewhere that between 1794 and 1935, the United States minted almost 900,000,000 Silver Dollars. Personally, I didn’t think there were that many minted. Compare that to the 1964 and 1964-D Washington Quarters which saw over 1.2 billion minted. There were more quarters minted in that one year than over a century of Silver Dollars. Incredible!
Wouldn’t it be something if we saw silver in circulating coins again? I don’t think we’ll see that again will all those dimes and quarters minted each year. Besides, people would hoard them like they did back in the 1960s, but it would be something nice to see.
Hi Kevin,
I really like money…
At least I like what I can do with it, so as I found your site, I was really interested to discover the facts about the silver content.
I can completely understand why people would want to keep all that silver!
I would too probably…
Liked that article, which seemed well researched!
Just curious, where did you do all your research for this project?
Awesome!
Tim
Thanks for the comment Tim! I’ve been collecting coins for quite some time, but I still need to do research whether it be online or the Red Book.
The legal purchasing power of a coin has nothing to do with its composition. The legal purchasing power of every US dollar ever made is exactly one dollar. This is true of silver dollars and paper dollars. The same is true of all pennies, all nickels, all dimes, quarters, etc.
The purchasing power of a $20 gold piece is exactly $20.
I cannot imagine one good reason to begin making coins out of silver, gold, or any other special substance. The whole idea is wacky.
Today, the vast majority of dollars are made of nothing. They are numbers in a spreadsheet. The federal government has the infinite ability to create dollars simply by pressing computer keys. Those who worry about the federal “debt” do not understand money.
Alan Greenspan: “A government cannot become insolvent with respect to obligations in its own currency.”
Ben Bernanke: “The U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost.”
Quote from Ben Bernanke when, as Fed chief, he was on 60 Minutes:
Scott Pelley: Is that tax money that the Fed is spending?
Ben Bernanke: It’s not tax money… We simply use the computer to mark up the size of the account.
Statement from the St. Louis Fed:
“As the sole manufacturer of dollars, whose debt is denominated in dollars, the U.S. government can never become insolvent, i.e., unable to pay its bills. In this sense, the government is not dependent on credit markets to remain operational.”
Sounds like we’re talking apples and oranges here. You’re talking about purchasing power. I’m talking about melt value. Sure I can go to the market and use a 1964 quarter as a quarter to purchase something. However that quarter is made of 90% silver. I could sell it to a coin dealer for its melt value of $4.12 based on the price of silver on 2/6/22. By the way, did you know that cents before 1982 are worth at least 2 cents. One of the reasons they want to eliminate that denomination.
You have something a bit off. In 1982 they stopped making copper pennies and switched to zinc. Since then the cost to manufacture a penny is now about 2 cents. That is one reason they want to get rid of them. Incidentally Canada stopped using pennies in cash transactions 5 or 6 years ago. In Canada, cash transactions are rounded to the nearest nickel and credit is charged it what it is. They have seen savings from doing this from both not having to produce pennies and not having to ship and move them. Businesses have had no Financial impact because of the change. If anything the government eats it a little with sales tax. But then the government also is saving all the money not making them.
Not exactly true. The Fed, which is a private bank, creates fiat currency out of thin air, but then it lends it to the US government at interest. Essentially it has a license to steal. When JFK had the government print US Notes instead of Federal Reserve Notes, he got whacked.
Why are the US Mint annual Silver Proof Sets, for the period after 1964, not listed on the table? Am I overlooking something?
The majority of the table had circulated silver coins except for Eisenhower and Anerican Eagle Dollars which didn’t have any silver in circulation. True, Silver Proof Sets since 1992 had 90% dimes, quarters and half dollars.
You should break down Eisenhower dollars 1971-6 in better detail. I bought coins when I first started that didn’t meet my expectations because i didn’t realize what was silver or not.