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 Replies: 15 / Views: 1,931 |
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Valued Member
United States
130 Posts |
Good afternoon, I was wondering if all coins (besides pennies) before 1964 had silver in them or if they now have some kind of value to them. My friend told me that most coins that were minted in 1964 or before have silver and them, so she collects them and has been since she was little. She says that if you drop them, the silver coins have a particular noise to them, and not like a normal coin today. I want to make sure she is right, and since my passion for coin collecting is getting bigger as the days go by, I'd like to collect some old coins as well. I already started, with 1 Wheat penny from 1944 and a Wheat penny from 1955. I also want to know how you can tell if a dime, nickel, or quarter has silver in it. I watched Pawn Stars before and this dude brought in lots of bags of silver coins that he collected since he was a child, which also inspired me. Thanks  |
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Valued Member
United States
453 Posts |
Dimes and larger before 64 were almost all 90%. Halves had some silver content for a few years after that. "War" Nickels also have a percentage of silver. That is just my very basic understanding and what I look for.
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
21584 Posts |
Are you referring to American coins?
If you are your in the wrong forum.
This is the Canadian coin forum.
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Valued Member
 United States
130 Posts |
Oh, yeah, sorry, I am referring to American coins. Is there a way I can move this post?
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Moderator
 United States
34393 Posts |
Quote:
I also want to know how you can tell if a dime, nickel, or quarter has silver in it. With virtually no exceptions, knowing the date will let you pick out the alloy of the coin. "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
Dimes, quarters, and half dollars 1964 and older are 90% silver. Very old ones might have a slightly different weight than the 1964 coins. With current silver price of somewhere between $15.50 and $16 per ounce, these coins are worth at least 11.5 times the face value. Some are worth a lot more, because of low supply and high demand. (Some non-precious metal coins are valuable for the same reason, even though the metal itself may only be worth a few cents.) Kennedy half dollars from 1965-70 are 40% silver. With a few exceptions during some WWII years, nickels have no silver. Edited by Pauldog
02/06/2019 9:29 pm
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Valued Member
United States
130 Posts |
Ok, so a nickel from 1962 does not have silver in it at all?
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
A 1962 nickel has no silver content. Just worry about the dimes, quarters, and halves, and you'll be 99% fine. The nickels that had silver in them had well under 50%, and are worth maybe $1 each.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
If you look for a copy of what is called the Red Book by Whitman Publishing you would be able to find any and all coins with Silver contents. Some coins today are still made with Silver but are sold by the Mint as proofs. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4085 Posts |
1942-1945 Nickels have silver content. 1942 were made from both traditional nickel composition and silver. You can tell the silver ones by the large mint mark over the dome on the reverse.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
832 Posts |
Quote:
She says that if you drop them, the silver coins have a particular noise to them, and not like a normal coin today. Hi @morganhuls - Yes, this is called the "ping test". You can train your ear to hear the difference. Take an older quarter (1964 or earlier) and gently drop it on a table. Then take a newer quarter and do the same thing. You'll hear a subtle difference. Over time you'll learn which US coins have silver just by checking the dates, but the ping test is still fun. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4333 Posts |
Quote:
Dimes and larger before 64 were almost all 90%. Don't forget that 1964 dimes through halves were also silver! When I listen to LED ZEPPELIN...so do my neighbors...
Roll hunting since '77
Dirt fishing since '72
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12811 Posts |
I didn't see this anywhere in this thread but the 1942-45 " War Nickels", as they're known, are 35% silver. At today's spot, War Nickels are worth a little under $0.90. |
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
The $.90 is the floor, but some are worth more due to collector value, especially if the condition is better. I noticed some sellers on ebay making their silver coin lots look heavier by including lots of War Nickels. |
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Valued Member
United States
59 Posts |
Easy way other than dates to tell if coins are silver is to look at the rim. In modern clad coins you see the brown band of the copper core. Silver coins have no dark band in the rim.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
832 Posts |
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Replies: 15 / Views: 1,931 |
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Posted 02/06/2019 5:10 pm
