Silver coins from the USA - Silver content guide

USA coins silver content

Until recent years, silver was still used in currency and many old coins from around the World contain silver. In this guide, we will talk about silver coins from the USA and their real silver content.

Previously we talked about British silver coins which contain 92.5% silver. Old US silver coins contain 90% silver. This makes them very attractive for investment purposes. Old coins from the USA are often referred to as "junk coins" or "junk silver". Most old coins from the USA do not have individual collectors value as such and are sold in bags by their "face value". For example, a $1000 face value bag of old US silver coins would contain around 715 troy ounces of silver. This would  be purchased for spot or around the spot price of silver.

Facts about Silver coins from the USA

Dimes, Quarters, Half Dollars and Dollars
Prior to 1965, the above US coins contained 90% silver





      Silver Dime

Halves
From 1965-1970, Halves contained 40% silver






    40% silver half

War Nickels
From 1942-1945, 5 cents (War Nickel) contains 35% silver (1.75g silver)





 35% Silver war nickel

Buying old US "Junk" silver coins (in the UK)
As the spot price of silver rises, investment bags of silver US coins are more sought after. Popular auction websites are a good place to find junk silver coins but you will often find high premiums. Dealers and independent websites will generally give the best deals on old US silver junk coins. Like all things in life, you will have to shop around to find the best deals.

One UK website which seems to have lower premiums and good stock levels for silver US coins is CoinInvestDirect.com [link].