Junk silver coins
From Silver Bullion
Contents |
What is junk silver coins?
Junk silver is the numismatic term refers to worn circulated silver coins. Junk silver coins do not have any collector's value because there are signs of wear and tear, scratch marks, nasty nicks etc. Their value lies in the silver content.
For example, the US silver coin, minted before 1965, is often called junk silver coin. The coins have at least 40% - 90% silver content, depending on what type of coins.
Junk coins are popular among people seeking to invest in small amounts of silver. Junk silver coins is the best choice for investing if you want to invest in silver bullion $5,000 or less.
Why should you buy junk silver
Benefits to buy junk silver coins as investing:
1. Little or no premium over the spot silver bullion prices
2. Junk coins have legal tender and real face value
3. Junk silver coins are familiar and can be sold easily. Junk silver coins are recognized around the world as a trading medium and are therefore very liquid.
In the event of a crisis junk coins could provide a viable alternative when fiat currencies are obsolete.
Sell junk silver coins
Junk coins are generally lower priced than silver bullion coins.
It is very rare to find pre-1965 silver dime, quarter, haft, dollar coins in circulation anymore as many people have searched for them and banks have started using automatic sorting machines that set the silver coins aside.
Although the junk silver dime coins are not very valuable to collectors, they do have value as because of their obvious silver content. Depending on the price of silver, the value can be quite substantial over face value for a worn out pre-1964 silver quarter or dime junk coin.
Junk coin is coin year 1964 and older in the US. Before 1965, silver coins were 90% silver and 10% copper. This was soon reduced to 40% silver content, and now coins have no silver content.
Although there will be wear and tear on the junk coin the silver content is still usually about 99% intact, making the junk coin worth way more than face value of the coin.
Buy junk silver in junk silver bags
The name "junk silver bags" developed in the 1970s and was used to describe a bag of average circulated silver coins. Usually junk silver bags contain either all dimes, quarters, or half dollars and no mixed junk silver bags offered.
Junk silver price of coins in bags will move up or down with the daily price of silver. If silver goes up ten cents, a bag of 90% silver coins with $1000 face value will rise $70 or so.
You can buy junk silver bags from local dealers or online on eBay. Almost any amount (from $5 dollars to $1,000 dollars) can be found on eBay and you can often find bargains on Ebay. In addition to U.S. junk coins, you can find junk silver bags from all over the world on Ebay (Canadian coins, Australian coins, Chinese coins and so on).
Also you can buy junk silver bags from dealers like Lynn Coins, C.C. Silver & Gold Inc., CMI Gold & Silver and Monex Deposit Company.
You can expect to pay a little more for half-dollar junk coin than for dime or quarter because of the higher silver content. Half-dollars coins also are much more popular among collectors and investors. Another reason is fewer silver half-dollars were minted than junk silver quarters and dimes.
Silver content in junk coins
Coins that are minted 1965 though to the present time in the U.S. have little or no silver content. The silver content of various pre-1965 coins will be around 90%.
- silver dollars - 24.06 grams of silver;
- silver half-dollars - 11.25 grams;
- silver quarters - 5.625 grams;
- silver dimes - 2.25 grams.
Percentage of silver in U.S. junk coins
- Morgan dollar (1878-1921)- 90%;
- Peace dollar (1921-1928 and 1934-1935)- 90%;
- Liberty Head "Barber" half-dollar (1892-1915)- 90%;
- Walking Liberty half-dollar (1916-1947) - 90%;
- Franklin half-dollar (1948-1963) - 90%;
- Kennedy half-dollar(1964) - 90%;
- Kennedy silver half-dollar (1965-1970) - 40%;
- Liberty Head "Barber" silver quarters (1892-1916) - 90%;
- Standing Liberty silver quarters (1916-1930) - 90%;
- Washington silver quarters (1932, 1934-1964) - 90%;
- Liberty Head "Barber" silver dimes(1892-1916) - 90%;
- Winged Liberty Head "Mercury" silver dimes (1916-1945) - 90%;
- Roosevelt silver dimes (1946-1964) - 90%;
- Jefferson silver "Wartime" (1942 (partial)-1945) - 35%;
Percentage of silver in U.K. junk silver coins
- Victoria silver Half Crown (1837-1901) - 92.5%;
- Victoria Florin (2 Shillings)(1849-1901) - 92.5%.
- Victoria Shilling (1838-1901) - 92.5%.
- Victoria Six Pences (1837-1901) - 92.5%.
- Victoria Three Pences (1838-1901) - 92.5%.
- Edward VII silver Crown(1902) - 92.5%;
- Edward VII silver Half Crown (1902-1910)- 92.5%;
- Edward VII Florin (1902-1910) - 92.5%.
- Edward VII Shilling(1902-1910) - 92.5%.
- Edward VII Six Pences (1902-1910) - 92.5%.
- Edward VII Three Pences (1902-1910) - 92.5%.
- George V silver Crown(1927-1936) - 50%;
- George V Half Crown (1911-1919) - 92.5%;
- George V Half Crown (1920-1936) - 50%;
- George V Florin (1911-1919) - 92.5%.
- George V Florin (1920-1936) - 50%.
- George V Shilling(1911-1919) - 92.5%.
- George V Shilling(1920-1936) - 50%.
- George V Six Pences (1911-1920) - 92.5%.
- George V Six Pences (1920-1936) - 50%.
- George V Three Pences (1911-1920) - 92.5%.
- George V Three Pences (1920-1936) - 50%.
- George VI silver Crown (1937) - 50%;
- George VI silver Half Crown (1937-1946) - 50%.
- George VI Florin (1937-1946) - 50%.
- George VI Shilling(1937-1946) - 50%.
- George VI Six Pences (1937-1946) - 50%.
- George VI Three Pences (1937-1945) - 50%.
Percentage of silver in other countries junk coins
- canadian quarter and silver canadian dime (before 1966) - 80%.
- canadian quarter and silver canadian dime (1967) - 50% or 80%.
- canadian quarter and silver canadian dime (1968) - 50% or no silver.
- australian florin, shilling, sixpence and threepence (1910-1945) - 92.5%.
- australian florin, shilling, sixpence and threepence (1946-1964) - 50%.
- australian florin, shilling, sixpence and threepence (1946-1964) - 50%.
- australian round 50-cent coin (1966) - 80%.
