When Did They Stop Putting Silver in Dimes?
Explore the pivotal shift in U.S. dime composition, uncovering why and when these coins transitioned from silver, and how to spot the difference.
For much of United States history, dimes were composed of silver, reflecting a common practice in coinage where a coin’s intrinsic metal value aligned closely with its face value. From their first issuance for circulation in 1796, dimes contained a significant percentage of silver. Early dimes, such as the Draped Bust and Capped Bust designs, contained 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper, a standard that evolved slightly over time.
The End of Silver in Dimes
The United States officially ceased producing silver dimes for general circulation with the Coinage Act of 1965, enacted on July 23, 1965. This legislation marked a significant shift in U.S. coinage policy. After this date, dimes minted for everyday use no longer contained silver, moving away from a long-standing tradition.
Reasons for the Change
The primary driver for removing silver from dimes was economic pressure, specifically the rising market price of silver. By the early 1960s, the value of silver in dimes, quarters, and half dollars began to exceed their face value. This led to widespread hoarding of silver coins by the public, as people recognized the intrinsic metal value was greater than the monetary value. The increased industrial use of silver further exacerbated the shortage of circulating coinage. The Treasury Department conducted extensive research, concluding that continuing to use so much silver in coinage was unsustainable and threatened to deplete government silver stocks by 1968.
Post-Silver Dime Composition
Following the Coinage Act of 1965, the composition of dimes changed to a copper-nickel clad “sandwich”. Modern dimes consist of a pure copper core bonded between two outer layers of an alloy that is 75% copper and 25% nickel. This clad composition was chosen because it provided similar mass and electrical properties to the silver dimes, which was important for vending machine compatibility. This change ensured that the melt value of the new coins remained significantly below their face value, preventing future hoarding.
Identifying Silver Dimes
Identifying pre-1965 silver dimes from their modern copper-nickel clad counterparts is straightforward. The most direct method is to check the mint date; any dime dated 1964 or earlier contains 90% silver. Visually, silver dimes will appear uniformly silver on their edges, without the distinct copper stripe visible on the edges of post-1965 clad dimes. Silver dimes also weigh slightly more, at 2.50 grams, compared to the 2.268 grams of clad dimes.