Silver Quarter Melt Value
As of —, a pre-1965 silver quarter has a melt value of —. Each quarter contains 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver, and the live spot price is — per troy ounce.
Silver Quarter Value by Quantity
| Quantity | Silver Content | Melt Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 quarter | 0.181 ozt | — |
| 4 quarters ($1 face value) | 0.723 ozt | — |
| 10 quarters | 1.808 ozt | — |
| 1 roll (40 quarters) | 7.232 ozt | — |
| 100 quarters ($25 face value) | 18.080 ozt | — |
| 400 quarters ($100 face value) | 72.320 ozt | — |
Last updated: —
Which Quarters Contain Silver
Three quarter series contain 90% silver: the Washington quarter (1932 to 1964), the Standing Liberty quarter (1916 to 1930), and the Barber quarter (1892 to 1916). Every quarter struck for circulation in 1965 and later uses a copper-nickel clad composition with no silver. Two exceptions exist. The Mint sold 40% silver bicentennial quarters in special 1976 collector sets, and it has struck 90% silver proof quarters for annual silver proof sets since 1992. Those silver proofs never entered circulation, so any quarter found in change dated 1965 or later is clad.
Silver Quarter Specifications
A 90% silver quarter weighs 6.25 grams and measures 24.3mm across. The alloy is 90 parts silver to 10 parts copper, which puts 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver in each coin. Wear reduces that slightly on heavily circulated coins, which is why dealers price junk silver at 0.715 ounces per dollar of face value instead of the nominal 0.7232.
Melt Value vs. Collector Value
Common-date circulated Washington quarters from the 1940s through 1964 trade at or just above melt. A handful of dates break away from melt entirely: the 1932-D and 1932-S carry premiums in any condition, and the 1916 Standing Liberty ranks among the most sought-after 20th century US coins. Check dates and mint marks before selling a batch at melt, and never clean a coin, since cleaning cuts its collector value.
See melt values for every US coin type on the US silver coin melt values page. Price a mixed lot by weight with the silver melt value calculator, or check the Morgan silver dollar melt value.