One of the most asked questions is how much is my silver coin worth? First a coin needs to be graded and then the coin needs to be assessed for its collector value. Many silver coins will be valued at a higher price for the silver content Vs the numistic value with the current silver prices. Silver and other precious metals are constantly fluctuating in the market. The best places to obtain silver prices per ounce are in the Wall Street Journal or USA today. Both of these newspapers will have the current market prices per troy ounce. The troy ounce is also the measurement of weight in coins.

All you need is the weight of silver in each US coin and then multiply the market value per troy ounce times the weight in the coin. Below is the weitght of all US silver coins:

Jefferson war series nickels dated 1942-1945: .05626oz.
Kennedy Halves dated 1965-1970: .14792oz
Eisenhower Halves-silver clad S mints only: .31625oz
US dimes dated 1964 and before: .07232oz.
US quarters dated 1964 and before: .18084oz
US halves dated 1964 and before: .36169oz
US silver dollars dated 1935 and before: .77344oz.

An example of using the above table is as follows: A roll of circulated 1964 dimes has a numistical value of less than that of silver content value in the market as of 2006. Let's say the silver market price is now at $9 per troy ounce. The calculation for the value of one roll of circulated silver 1964 dimes is as follows:

50 Roosevelt silver coins x $9 x .07232oz = $32.54

When bidding on common rolls of silver stock, your target should be not to exceed the $32.54 amount. If you are trying to buy rolls of silver coins for investment, keep in mind that dealers may charge a processing fee, thereby, offering a percentage lower than the market value for the roll.

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