US quarters dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Quarters dated 1965 and later have no silver. The same is true of dimes. Half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver, and half dollars dated 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver. That is the whole answer, and it comes straight from the law that changed the coins.
What years are quarters silver? Dimes, halves and dollars too
The law behind the dates
The Coinage Act of 1965, signed on July 23, 1965, replaced silver in the dime and the quarter with a cladding of 75% copper and 25% nickel on a copper core, and cut the half dollar to 40% silver. It let the Mint keep striking 900 fine silver coins only until enough of the new coins were ready, and in no case for more than five years. Then it settled the dates in two sentences: any coins struck after the Act from 900 fine coin silver had to be inscribed with the year 1964, and the new clad coins could not be dated earlier than 1965.
An earlier law, of September 3, 1964, had already told the Mint to keep putting 1964 on every coin it struck until there were enough coins, and the Mint kept the 1964 date on coins made after January 1, 1965. So the date on the coin tells you its metal, even though many 1964-dated silver coins were struck in 1965. A law signed on December 31, 1970 then let the 40% half dollar be struck only until January 1, 1971, and made the half dollar copper-nickel clad from then on.
What years are quarters silver?
| Quarter | Silver | Silver per coin |
|---|---|---|
| Dated 1964 and earlier | 90% | 0.1808 troy oz |
| Dated 1965 and later (circulation) | None | None |
A 90% quarter weighs 6.25 grams by the US Mint’s standard, so it holds 5.625 grams of silver, 0.1808 troy ounces. The Washington quarter was first coined in April 1932, according to the Mint, so Washington quarters dated 1932 through 1964 are silver. A 1964 quarter is silver; a 1965 quarter is not. Quarters older than 1932, with earlier designs, are silver too, and are worth showing to a buyer before they go into a melt pile.
How to tell a silver quarter at a glance
Read the date first: it is the surest test. Then look at the edge. Under the Coinage Act of 1965, a clad quarter has outer layers of copper-nickel on a core of copper, so the core can show on the edge as a band of copper color. A 90% silver quarter is made of one alloy, 900 fine coin silver, so there is no copper core to show.
What years are dimes silver?
| Dime | Silver | Silver per coin |
|---|---|---|
| Dated 1964 and earlier | 90% | 0.0723 troy oz |
| Dated 1965 and later (circulation) | None | None |
A 90% dime weighs 2.5 grams and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of silver. The Roosevelt dime was released on January 30, 1946, so Roosevelt dimes dated 1946 through 1964 are silver, and so are the Mercury dimes before them. Dimes dated 1965 and later are clad in the same way, on a copper core.
What years are half dollars silver?
| Half dollar | Dated | Silver | Silver per coin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking Liberty half | Before 1948 | 90% | 0.3617 troy oz |
| Franklin half | 1948 to 1963 | 90% | 0.3617 troy oz |
| Kennedy half | 1964 | 90% | 0.3617 troy oz |
| Kennedy half | 1965 to 1970 | 40% | 0.1479 troy oz |
| Kennedy half, circulation | 1971 and later | None | None |
The Franklin half was coined from April 1948 through December 31, 1963, replacing the older Liberty design. The Kennedy half was first coined on February 11, 1964. The 1964 Kennedy half is 90% silver, 12.5 grams with 0.3617 troy ounces of silver. The 40% halves weigh 11.5 grams and contain 4.6 grams of silver, about 0.1479 troy ounces.
Silver dollars and nickels
- Morgan and Peace dollars are 90% silver, 412.5 grains each, with 0.7734 troy ounces of silver. Morgan dollars were struck from 1878 and again in 1921; the Peace dollar began in December 1921.
- Eisenhower dollars made for circulation are copper-nickel. The 1970 law also allowed an issue in 40% silver, each coin holding 9.837 grams of silver.
- Nickels struck from October 1942 through 1945 were made of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese, according to the Mint. The regular five-cent alloy is 75% copper and 25% nickel.
- American Silver Eagles, issued from 1986, hold one troy ounce of .999 fine silver by law.
Much older silver coins
Silver coins go back to the first US Mint. The Mint’s own table of standards shows the half dollar at 208 grains under the Act of 1792, 206 1/4 grains from 1837, 192 grains from 1853 and 192.9 grains, which is 12.5 grams, from 1873, and the quarter and dime changing at the same times. Old denominations such as the half dime, the 3-cent silver piece and the 20-cent piece were silver too, and were all discontinued in the 1870s. Coins this old are worth showing to a coin dealer before they are sold for their silver; see where to sell old coins.
Silver by the dollar of face value
Because ten 90% dimes, four 90% quarters and two 90% halves all weigh 25 grams, every dollar of face value in pre-1965 coins holds 0.7234 troy ounces of silver. That is why dealers buy them by face value. Ten dollars of 1964-and-earlier quarters, forty coins, holds 7.234 troy ounces. To turn that into money, multiply by the day’s spot price; the arithmetic is in our article on junk silver value.
Found some? What to do next
- Pull out every coin dated 1964 or earlier, and every half dollar dated 1965 through 1970.
- Keep the 40% halves separate from the 90% coins.
- Set aside anything older or unusually sharp, and show it to a buyer on its own.
- Do not clean them. Cleaning cannot be undone.
- Count face value and work out the silver.
When you are ready, our guide to sell junk silver explains how these coins are priced and sold, and how to sell silver coins has the checklist.
Where To Sell Silver Coins is an independent referral service, not a buyer, pawnshop or dealer. When you call or send your coin list, we pass your details to an independent buyer in New York, who makes any offer.
Found a jar of 1964 and earlier coins? Call, or send your coin list.
Questions people ask
Is a 1964 quarter silver?
Yes. Quarters dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver, 0.1808 troy ounces each. Quarters dated 1965 and later are copper-nickel clad.
Are 1965 quarters silver?
No. The Coinage Act of 1965 made the quarter copper-nickel clad on a copper core, and those coins could not be dated earlier than 1965.
What years are dimes silver?
Dimes dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver, 0.0723 troy ounces each. Dimes dated 1965 and later have no silver.
Are 1965 to 1970 half dollars silver?
Yes, 40%. Each weighs 11.5 grams and contains 4.6 grams of silver. Halves made for circulation from 1971 have no silver.
Were any silver coins dated 1965?
Not 90% dimes, quarters or halves. A 1964 law kept the 1964 date on coins struck into 1965, and the Coinage Act of 1965 required 90% coins struck after it to carry 1964 as well. Half dollars dated 1965 are 40% silver.
How can I tell a silver coin without the date?
Look at the edge. Clad dimes and quarters have a copper core under the Coinage Act of 1965, which can show as a band of copper color on the edge; 90% silver coins have no copper core. The date is still the surest test.
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