Sell Pre-1964 Silver Coins in Austin
Mercury dimes, Roosevelt dimes, Washington quarters, Walking Liberty and Franklin halves. Spot-based pricing with key date evaluation. Austin coin buyers.
(737) 200-7042Pre-1964 US coins containing 90% silver are among the most common precious metal items sold in Austin. Families accumulate them in jars and boxes over generations, and estates regularly produce rolls and bags of constitutional silver that need to be evaluated and converted to cash.
The silver value is straightforward to calculate. What matters is not missing key dates within a bag of otherwise common silver. A 1916-D Mercury dime sitting in an unsorted bag of 90% dimes is worth $700 or more at the right grade, compared to $3 in melt for a common date. We sort every accumulation before pricing to make sure nothing significant is priced as junk silver by accident.
90% Silver Coins We Purchase
Mercury Dimes (1916 to 1945)
All dates and mintmarks. Common dates in circulated grades are priced by silver content. Key dates include 1916-D, 1921, 1921-D, 1942/41 overdate, and 1942/41-D overdate, which carry major premiums above melt.
Roosevelt Dimes (1946 to 1964)
All 90% silver Roosevelt dimes from 1946 through 1964. Common dates and mintmarks. Generally priced by silver content with no meaningful numismatic premium on most dates.
Washington Quarters (1932 to 1964)
All 90% silver Washington quarters. Key dates include 1932-D and 1932-S, which carry large premiums in all grades. Most other dates trade at or near silver melt in circulated grades.
Walking Liberty Half Dollars (1916 to 1947)
One of the most beautiful US coin designs. Key dates include 1916-D, 1917-D (obverse), 1917-S (obverse), 1919-D, 1921, 1921-D, and 1921-S. Collector premiums apply to key dates in any grade.
Franklin Half Dollars (1948 to 1963)
All Franklin half dollars in 90% silver. Full Bell Lines (FBL) specimens in MS65 are key in the Franklin series and can command significant premiums. Most circulated Franklins trade near silver melt.
1964 Kennedy Half Dollars
The first year of the Kennedy half dollar, struck in 90% silver (the only year at full 90%). All 1964 Kennedy halves contain 0.3617 oz of silver. Valued primarily for silver content.
How Pre-1964 Silver Buying Works
Bring In Your Coins
Call (737) 200-7042 to schedule. Rolls, bags, and loose accumulations are all welcome. No need to sort by denomination unless you want to.
We Sort and Count
We count and sort your coins by denomination, separating key dates for individual evaluation. You watch the sorting process.
Written Offer at Current Spot
We apply current live silver spot prices to the calculated silver content. You receive a written breakdown showing the math.
Cash or Wire Same Day
Accept and receive payment immediately. Larger transactions paid by same-day wire transfer.
Why 1964 Is the Cutoff Year
The Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from US dimes and quarters entirely and reduced the half dollar from 90% to 40% silver. The law was a response to rising silver prices in the mid-1960s that made the silver content of coins worth more than their face value, leading to hoarding and shortages of circulating coinage.
The result was a sharp dividing line in numismatic value. A 1964 Roosevelt dime contains 90% silver and is worth many times its face value. A 1965 Roosevelt dime contains only a copper-nickel clad composition and is worth exactly 10 cents. The same design, one year apart, with radically different metal values.
This cutoff makes sorting straightforward: any US dime, quarter, or half dollar dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver (with the exception of some 1964-dated special mint proofs). Kennedy halves dated 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver. All other halves, quarters, and dimes from 1965 forward are clad with no silver content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-1964 US dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars contain 90% silver. One dollar in face value of 90% silver coinage contains 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver. Multiply face value by 0.715, then multiply by the current silver spot price. At $30 per ounce, $100 face value contains 71.5 oz of silver worth $2,145 in melt. We typically pay 85 to 92 percent of that melt value depending on quantity.
All pre-1964 US dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars contain 90% silver. The silver content scales proportionally with face value. A dime contains one-tenth the silver of a dollar; a quarter contains one-quarter. So $1 face value in dimes, quarters, halves, or dollars all contain the same 0.715 oz of silver. The denomination does not affect the per-ounce silver content as long as we are talking about 90% silver coinage.
Kennedy half dollars from 1965 through 1970 contain 40% silver, not 90%. The Coinage Act of 1965 ended 90% silver coinage for dimes and quarters and reduced the half dollar to 40% silver (and then to clad in 1971). One dollar face value of 40% Kennedy halves contains 0.295 oz of silver, versus 0.715 oz for 90% silver. We buy 40% halves at their appropriate silver value, which is lower per face value dollar than 90% silver.
A standard roll of quarters is 40 coins totaling $10 face value. At 0.715 oz silver per dollar of face value, a roll of 90% silver quarters contains 7.15 troy ounces of silver. At $30 per ounce spot, that is $214.50 in melt value. We typically pay $185 to $197 for a roll of common-date 90% silver quarters depending on current market conditions.
Yes, and we evaluate them individually rather than pricing them at melt. The 1916-D Mercury dime in VG condition is worth $700 or more, not the $3 melt value of a common Mercury dime. The 1932-D Washington quarter in Good condition is worth $200 or more, not melt. If you have a bag of 90% silver coins, we sort through it and pull any key dates for individual evaluation.
No minimum quantity. A single coin, a roll, or a bag of $1,000 face value are all welcome. Larger quantities may receive slightly better percentages of spot, but there is no threshold below which we will not buy.
Yes. Canadian dimes, quarters, halves, and dollars struck before 1968 contain 80% silver (not 90%). Canadian silver is valued by its silver content using the same spot price calculation, but at the 80% silver factor. Canadian Silver Maple Leafs are a separate product at 99.99% silver, priced differently from constitutional silver coinage.
Ready to Sell Your Silver Coins?
Monday–Saturday · 10am–6pm
(737) 200-7042Appointment required · Call to schedule · Cash or wire same day