Hard to believe that once upon a time circulating coins have silver and gold content. There is even a time when silver is in various coins from Three Cent Pieces to the Morgan and Peace Dollars. Now, we only find silver in special collector sets and Commemoratives. Let’s go through the history of Silver Coins in the United States.
Early Silver Coins
During Colonial Times, people use silver and gold coins from European nations. One of the most common coins is the silver Spanish Dollar, also known as a Real or a Piece of Eight.
Once the United States becomes it own nation, one of the things to be done is to produce its own coinage. With the Coinage Act of 1792, the US Mint is built in Philadelphia and a new US coinage system. The Half Dime (5 cent piece), Dime, Quarter, Half Dollar and Dollar coins include silver. With the Spanish Dollar being popular, the US makes their dollar similar in weight and becomes the monetary standard. Back then, silver coins contain 89.24% silver. By 1837, the content of silver for all silver coins increases to 90% which they remain until 1964.
End Of US Silver 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 Dollars or Peace Dollars 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 Dollars which contains 40% silver from 1965 to 1970. With silver 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollars only available in Mint Sets, the 1969-D Half Dollar is 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 will be special coinage and commemoratives that will contain silver, but it won’t return to the Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter and Kennedy Half Dollar until 1992, and they will only be in Proof Sets.
Silver Coin Content Table
As you can use this table to see how much silver each coin contains, 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) | Content | Weight (g) | Silver (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Cent | Silver | 1851-1853 | 14 | 75% Silver, 25% Copper | 0.8 | 0.0193 |
| Three Cent | Silver | 1854-1873 | 14 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 0.75 | 0.0218 |
| Nickel | Jefferson (Wartime) | 1942-1945 | 21.2 | 56% Copper, 35% Silver, 9% Manganese | 5 | 0.05625 |
| Half Dime | Flowing Hair | 1794-1795 | 16.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 1.35 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Draped Bust | 1796-1805 | 16.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 1.35 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Capped Bust | 1829-1837 | 15.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 1.35 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Liberty Seated | 1837-1853 | 15.5 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 1.34 | 0.0388 |
| Half Dime | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 15.5 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 1.24 | 0.0362 |
| Dime | Draped Bust | 1796-1807 | 19 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 2.7 | 0.0775 |
| Dime | Capped Bust | 1809-1837 | 18.8 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 2.7 | 0.0775 |
| Dime | Liberty Seated | 1837-1853 | 17.9 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 2.67 | 0.0775 |
| Dime | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 17.9 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 2.49 | 0.0721 |
| Dime | Liberty Seated | 1873-1891 | 17.9 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Dime | Barber | 1892-1916 | 17.9 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Dime | Mercury | 1916-1945 | 17.9 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Dime | Roosevelt | 1946-1964 | 17.9 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 2.5 | 0.07234 |
| Twenty Cent | Seated Liberty | 1875-1878 | 22 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 5 | 0.1447 |
| Quarter | Draped Bust | 1796-1807 | 27.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 6.74 | 0.1935 |
| Quarter | Capped Bust | 1815-1828 | 27 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 6.74 | 0.1935 |
| Quarter | Capped Bust | 1831-1838 | 24.3 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 6.74 | 0.1935 |
| Quarter | Liberty Seated | 1838-1853 | 24.3 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 6.68 | 0.1934 |
| Quarter | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 24.3 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 6.22 | 0.18 |
| Quarter | Liberty Seated | 1873-1891 | 24.3 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 6.25 | 0.1808 |
| Quarter | Barber | 1892-1916 | 24.3 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 6.25 | 0.1808 |
| Quarter | Standing Liberty | 1916-1930 | 24.3 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 6.25 | 0.1808 |
| Quarter | Washington | 1932-1964 | 24.3 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 6.25 | 0.1808 |
| Half Dollar | Flowing Hair | 1794-1795 | 32.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 13.48 | 0.3869 |
| Half Dollar | Draped Bust | 1796-1807 | 32.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 13.48 | 0.3869 |
| Half Dollar | Capped Bust | 1807-1836 | 32.5 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 13.48 | 0.3869 |
| Half Dollar | Capped Bust | 1836-1839 | 30 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 13.36 | 0.3867 |
| Half Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1838-1853 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 13.36 | 0.3867 |
| Half Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1853-1873 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 12.44 | 0.36 |
| Half Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1873-1891 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 12.5 | 0.3617 |
| Half Dollar | Barber | 1892-1916 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 12.5 | 0.3617 |
| Half Dollar | Walking Liberty | 1916-1947 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 12.5 | 0.3617 |
| Half Dollar | Franklin | 1948-1963 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 12.5 | 0.3617 |
| Half Dollar | Kennedy | 1964 | 30.6 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 12.5 | 0.3617 |
| Half Dollar | Kennedy | 1965-1970 | 30.6 | 60% Copper-Nickel, 40% Silver | 11.5 | 0.1489 |
| Dollar | Flowing Hair | 1794-1795 | 40 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 26.96 | 0.7737 |
| Dollar | Draped Bust | 1795-1804 | 40 | 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper | 26.96 | 0.7737 |
| Dollar | Gobrecht | 1836-1839 | 38.1 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 26.73 | 0.7736 |
| Dollar | Liberty Seated | 1840-1873 | 38.1 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 26.73 | 0.7736 |
| Dollar | Trade | 1873-1885 | 38.1 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 27.22 | 0.7878 |
| Dollar | Morgan | 1878-1921 | 38.1 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 26.73 | 0.7734 |
| Dollar | Peace | 1921-1935 | 38.1 | 90% Silver, 10% Copper | 26.73 | 0.7734 |
| Dollar | Eisenhower | 1971- 1976 | 38.1 | 60% Copper-Nickel, 40% Silver | 24.59 | 0.3161 |
| Dollar | American Eagle | 1986- | 40.6 | 99.93% Silver, 0,07% Copper | 31.10 | 1.0000 |
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 are more quarters 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.