Bullion Values of US Coins

Modern coinage contains base metals like zinc and nickel. Earlier coins contained silver. So what is the bullion value of my coins?

Here is a handy table to allow you to determine the value of your coins.

Note: In this calculation we are ignoring the value of other metals in the coin (copper, nickel..) and using only the silver value.

So, to estimate what a coin is worth you multiply the value above by the Spot Silver Price. For example: (1) 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar is worth 1 X .3617 (silver weight) X 18.64 (recent silver Price) = $6.7420.

If buying from a dealer you can expect to pay a little more, and if selling to a dealer you can expect to receive a little less - they need to make a profit. Here is an example: With silver at $18.64 one dealer was willing to buy silver half dollars for $6.35, and to sell them for $6.95. You see our $6.74 price calculated above in in between the buy and sell prices quoted, as we would expect.

A little more explanation is needed. Many coins have a higher value as collector coins - numismatic value - than they do as bullion. Be careful when selling coins. You might be selling an expensive collector coin for bullion value.

Now you might wonder what silver has to go to to make a profit with your coin. To do this, you divide the price you paid for the coin and divide it by the multiplier in the table above. So if you paid $6.95 for your half dollar you would do this: $6.95 / .3617 = $19.21. That is about where silver would have to go to arrive at a $6.95 dealer buy price (assuming the dealer uses the same pricing calculation at $19.21 as he did at $18.64). Silver, in this example would need to go up 3.06% to break even.

Another note: the example above is for a single coin - or a 'small' quantity purchase. You will get a better deal for larger quantities, say a $500 or $1000 bag. Other considerations to take into account in a purchase are shipping, storage, and sales taxes.

Bullion Value of Pennies - are covered in a separate article.