# What is the market value of the silver in old coins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419 "2010-08-06T16:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/1 "2010-08-06T16:41:09Z")
This is a follow-up to a question I asked earlier. What is the market value of the silver in old U.S. silver dollars? Say from the 1880s? Or the 1920s? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/2 "2010-08-06T17:43:10Z")
Less than the value of the coin as a coin. (I wouldn’t advise melting them down to harvest their silver value…) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/3 "2010-08-06T22:07:33Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > Less than the value of the coin as a coin. > > (I wouldn’t advise melting them down to harvest their silver value..) [Unlike '79 or '80, eh?](http://www.buyandhold.com/bh/en/education/history/2000/hunt_bros.html) It seemed that in a matter of a few weeks, silver containing coins disappeared (forever) in Canada. I suppose it was the same in the States. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/4 "2010-08-06T22:19:54Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > This is a follow-up to a question I asked earlier. What is the market value of the silver in old U.S. silver dollars? Say from the 1880s? Or the 1920s? Silver dollars from 1878-1935 melt for just a bit over $14 each, based on today’s closing price of silver of $18.46 US. Most coin shops/dealers in the US are probably paying anywhere from $12-15, based upon their needs. We pay $15 each and have for all of this year, based upon our need for them. In general, the “market price” of real silver dollars is just above their melt value. No so for minor silver coins. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/5 "2010-08-11T13:39:09Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > > [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > > > This is a follow-up to a question I asked earlier. What is the market value of the silver in old U.S. silver dollars? Say from the 1880s? Or the 1920s? > > Silver dollars from 1878-1935 melt for just a bit over $14 each, based on today’s closing price of silver of $18.46 US. > > Most coin shops/dealers in the US are probably paying anywhere from $12-15, based upon their needs. We pay $15 each and have for all of this year, based upon our need for them. In general, the “market price” of real silver dollars is just above their melt value. No so for minor silver coins. Are you comparing the retail coin price with the retail silver price? What would I get if I brought a bag with a handful of silver coins to a storefront? If I melted them in my garage and brought a home-made ingot of raw silver to a “buys silver” place, what would I get for it? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/6 "2010-08-11T14:20:23Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > If I melted them in my garage and brought a home-made ingot of raw silver to a “buys silver” place, what would I get for it? You’d have to separate the 90% silver from the 10% copper. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/7 "2010-08-11T16:21:53Z")
[Current value of silver in various US coins](http://www.coinflation.com/silver_coin_values.html). Joe ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-market-value-of-the-silver-in-old-coins/549419/8 "2010-08-12T00:46:50Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > > [@samclem](#): > > > > Silver dollars from 1878-1935 melt for just a bit over $14 each, based on today’s closing price of silver of $18.46 US. > > What would I get if I brought a bag with a handful of silver coins to a storefront? > > If I melted them in my garage and brought a home-made ingot of raw silver to a “buys silver” place, what would I get for it? Dimes, quarters and halves, 1964 and earlier, at $18.46/ounce for pure silver, have a melt value of about $13/ounce. We’d pay about $12.20/ounce for them, because most of them will go to the refinery. If you melted them yourself before hand and brought them in, we’d probably give you about $11.50 ounce, because in their melted form, we don’t know the purity. So, we’d protect ourselves. Most places would pay significatly less.