Junk Silver · Share Card

$1 face of pre-1965 U.S. coins = 0.715 oz of real silver.

Ten dimes. Four quarters. Two halves. Any combination totaling a dollar face value contains the same 0.715 troy ounces of 90% silver. The math has been fixed since 1837.

0.715 oz

Troy ounces of pure silver in $1 face value of pre-1965 dimes, quarters, or half dollars (allowing the standard 10% wear deduction; 0.7234 oz uncirculated).

10 dimes

= 0.715 oz Ag

4 quarters

= 0.715 oz Ag

2 halves

= 0.715 oz Ag

"Junk silver" isn't junk — it's the nickname for circulated 90% silver coinage minted before the Coinage Act of 1965 ended silver in everyday change.

Because the Mint set fixed silver content per face dollar, any pre-1965 dime, quarter, or half-dollar contains the same proportional silver. A bag of 1,000 face-dollars (a "$1,000 face bag") holds ~715 troy ounces of pure silver. The math is the same whether the coins are dated 1880 or 1964.

This makes pre-65 silver one of the easiest ways to hold real money: denominated, divisible, recognizable, and impossible to counterfeit at the dime level.

Old US silver coin guide → Grading guide