What Quarters Are Silver & How to Find Them
Learn to identify genuine silver quarters and understand their historical significance and intrinsic value beyond face currency.
Understanding the composition of U.S. quarters can reveal more than just their face value. While most modern quarters are simply worth 25 cents, some older coins hold additional value due to their precious metal content. Identifying these silver quarters involves recognizing specific historical periods and physical characteristics that distinguish them from their contemporary counterparts. This knowledge allows individuals to appreciate the intrinsic worth of these coins beyond their monetary denomination.
Key Dates for Silver Quarters
For most of U.S. history, circulating quarters contained silver. All U.S. quarters minted in 1964 or earlier are composed of 90% silver and 10% copper. This includes the popular Washington quarters issued from 1932 to 1964, as well as earlier series like Standing Liberty quarters (1916–1930) and Barber quarters (1892–1916). Each of these 90% silver quarters contains approximately 0.18084 troy ounces of pure silver.
A significant change occurred in 1965 with the passage of the Coinage Act. This legislation eliminated silver from circulating dimes and quarters due to rising silver prices and a coin shortage. Consequently, all regular circulating quarters minted from 1965 onward are made from a copper-nickel clad composition and contain no silver. The primary focus for finding silver quarters in general circulation is on those dated 1964 or earlier.
Physical Characteristics of Silver Quarters
Identifying silver quarters often begins with examining their physical attributes. One of the most reliable methods is to inspect the coin’s edge. Silver quarters will display a solid, uniform silver color around their edge, without any visible lines of different metals. In contrast, clad quarters, minted from 1965 onwards, feature a distinct copper stripe or reddish layer along their edge.
Another common identification technique involves the “sound test.” When dropped onto a hard surface, a silver quarter typically produces a clear, higher-pitched ringing sound. This contrasts with the duller thud made by a copper-nickel clad quarter. While less precise, silver quarters may also feel slightly different or have a different weight due to their denser silver content; a silver quarter weighs 6.25 grams compared to a clad quarter’s 5.67 grams.
Understanding Silver Content
The shift in quarter composition stems from economic pressures and legislative action. Before 1965, the U.S. Mint produced coins from precious metals like silver, where the intrinsic metal value was closely related to the coin’s face value. However, as the market price of silver began to rise, the silver content in quarters and dimes became worth more than their 25-cent face value. This led to widespread hoarding of silver coins, exacerbating a national coin shortage.
In response, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Coinage Act of 1965 into law, effectively removing silver from dimes and quarters and reducing the silver content in half dollars. This act transitioned U.S. coinage to a clad composition, primarily a copper core bonded between outer layers of copper-nickel. This change ensured that coins could be produced efficiently and remain in circulation without being melted down for their metal content, emphasizing their function as transactional currency rather than a store of precious metal value.