How can I tell if a coin is 90% silver just by looking?

Check the date first — dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver. A silver edge stripe (versus a copper stripe on clad coins) is another quick visual check.

Are Morgan silver dollars worth more than their silver content?

Usually yes, at least modestly, because of strong collector demand and often excellent surviving condition. Certain dates are worth significantly more.

Do Silver Eagles carry collector value beyond bullion price?

Most years trade close to bullion pricing, but certain early, low-mintage, or proof/special-finish years can carry a real numismatic premium.

What's the fastest way to value a large jar of mixed silver coins?

Sort by type — 90% silver, 40% silver, and clad — then bring the whole jar in. We weigh and sort everything against the live spot price during one free evaluation.

Coins & Bullion

A Guide to Selling Silver Coins

Silver coins are among the most misunderstood items people bring in — face value on the coin has almost nothing to do with what it's actually worth today.

Published August 4, 2026 · Gold King, Houston TX

Pre-1965 US silver coins and Morgan silver dollars

Pre-1965 'junk silver' is anything but junk

In 1965, the US Mint stopped striking dimes, quarters and half dollars in 90% silver and switched to copper-nickel clad. Any of those coins dated 1964 or earlier — regardless of how worn or common — still contain real silver, which is why collectors nicknamed them 'junk silver.' The name refers to their lack of numismatic premium, not their value; they are bought and sold every day purely for silver content.

The math is standardized across the industry: a face-value dollar in pre-1965 dimes, quarters or halves contains 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver. So $10 face value in junk silver coins holds 7.15 oz of silver, and that figure gets multiplied by the live silver spot price to find its value — the printed denominations are irrelevant to the calculation.

The 40% silver half dollars from 1965-1970

Kennedy half dollars minted from 1965 through 1970 are a special transitional case — struck in 40% silver rather than the full 90%, as the Mint phased silver out of circulating coinage gradually. These coins are easy to overlook because they look similar to fully clad halves from later years, but the silver content is real and worth checking for.

A 40% half dollar contains 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver — roughly a fifth of what a 90% half dollar of the same denomination holds. If you have a mixed jar of old halves, sorting 1964-and-earlier from 1965-1970 from 1971-and-later makes a real difference in total value.

Morgan and Peace dollars: bullion or collector coin?

Morgan dollars (1878-1904, and briefly 1921) and Peace dollars (1921-1935) are 90% silver, larger coins that carry both a silver floor and frequent numismatic interest above it. Because so many were minted and later stored in bank and Treasury vaults for decades, many surviving examples are in genuinely excellent condition, which keeps demand for common dates strong even beyond pure silver content.

Certain dates and mint marks within these two series are legitimate key dates worth well above typical silver dollar prices, so it is worth having any Morgan or Peace dollar collection looked at individually rather than assuming they're all priced the same.

American Silver Eagles and modern bullion coins

The American Silver Eagle, minted since 1986, is a 1 oz .999 fine silver coin backed by the US government and one of the most actively traded silver products in the world. Its value tracks the live silver spot price closely, generally trading at a modest premium above melt because of strong recognition and liquidity, rather than carrying significant numismatic value from age.

Certain early-year Eagles, low-mintage years, or proof and special-finish versions can carry collector premiums above standard bullion pricing, so it's worth mentioning the date and finish when you bring Eagles in.

Doing the face-value math yourself

If you want a rough estimate before coming in, the key numbers are simple: 90% silver dimes and quarters contain 0.0715 oz of silver per coin (0.7234 oz per dollar of face value more precisely for dimes/quarters combos, though 0.715 is the standard rounded industry figure), 90% half dollars follow the same per-dollar rate, and 40% half dollars contain 0.1479 oz each. Multiply the total silver ounces by the live spot price for an estimate.

This math is exactly what we run at the counter, using a live spot price feed and a scale, so you can double-check the number in real time rather than taking anyone's word for it.

Bring your silver coins to Gold King

Whether you have a coffee can of junk silver dimes, a handful of Morgan dollars, or a tube of Silver Eagles, we sort, weigh and price everything against the live spot price with you watching. It's a fast process and payment is cash on the spot.

Visit us at 6809 Southwest Freeway in Houston, open daily from 10:00 AM to 8:45 PM, or call 713-997-0875 ahead of time if you want to talk through what you have.

Ready to sell? Gold King buys these items in Houston every day — sell silver in Houston, sell coins in Houston, sell bullion in Houston and cash for gold in Houston. Every appraisal is free, and payment is cash on the spot.

Keep reading

These Gold King guides cover the same subject from different angles:

Selling from outside central Houston? We buy from Houston, Pearland and Pasadena customers every week.

Start at the Gold King homepage for everything we buy, or contact our Houston store for a free appraisal and a same-day cash offer.

Questions about this guide

How can I tell if a coin is 90% silver just by looking?: Check the date first — dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier are 90% silver. A silver edge stripe (versus a copper stripe on clad coins) is another quick visual check.
Are Morgan silver dollars worth more than their silver content?: Usually yes, at least modestly, because of strong collector demand and often excellent surviving condition. Certain dates are worth significantly more.
Do Silver Eagles carry collector value beyond bullion price?: Most years trade close to bullion pricing, but certain early, low-mintage, or proof/special-finish years can carry a real numismatic premium.
What's the fastest way to value a large jar of mixed silver coins?: Sort by type — 90% silver, 40% silver, and clad — then bring the whole jar in. We weigh and sort everything against the live spot price during one free evaluation.