A silver quarter is any US quarter dated 1964 or earlier, and each one contains 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver. That makes a common date worth its melt value, which is approximately $5.40 with silver at $30 an ounce, $7.25 at $40 and $9 at $50. Most silver quarters found in coin jars and inherited collections are common Washington quarters from the 1940s to 1964, and that melt figure is what they sell for. The exceptions are key dates such as the 1932-D and 1932-S Washington quarters, the 1916 Standing Liberty and several Barber quarters from San Francisco, which are worth $100 to several thousand dollars, along with any silver quarter in genuinely uncirculated condition.
Quick answer
- A common pre-1965 quarter is worth its silver: about 0.18 oz times today's spot price.
- Check the edge for a copper stripe, then the date and mint mark.
- Key dates and unworn coins with original luster are worth well above melt.
How to check yours, step by step
- Look at the edge. Turn the quarter on its side. A copper-colored stripe between two silver-gray layers means copper-nickel clad, struck in 1965 or later, worth 25 cents. A solid, even silver edge all the way through means 90 percent silver.
- Read the date. On a Washington quarter the date is on the obverse, under Washington's neck. Dated 1964 or earlier means silver. Dated 1965 or later with a solid edge is almost always a silver proof from a collector set, with an S mint mark and a mirror finish.
- Weigh it if in doubt. A silver quarter weighs about 6.25 grams. A clad quarter weighs about 5.67 grams. A kitchen scale reading to 0.1 gram separates them, and the weight also exposes plated fakes.
- Identify the design. A left-facing Washington head is the Washington quarter (1932-1964 for silver). A standing woman with a shield in a gateway is the Standing Liberty quarter (1916-1930). A classical head with a laurel wreath and LIBERTY on a headband is the Barber quarter (1892-1916).
- Find the mint mark. On silver Washington quarters it is on the reverse, under the eagle's wreath. On Standing Liberty quarters it is on the obverse, just left of the date on the step. On Barber quarters it is on the reverse, below the eagle's tail. D is Denver, S is San Francisco, O is New Orleans, no letter is Philadelphia.
- Check the key date list below. Anything that matches goes aside for a closer look.
- Judge the surface. Tilt the coin under a lamp. Original mint luster moves across the surface in a cartwheel. A coin that is bright but static, with fine parallel scratches, has been cleaned.
Melt value at different silver prices
Silver spot moves every trading day, so the melt value of a silver quarter moves with it. The formula is simple: 0.1808 times the spot price per troy ounce. Silver is also traded in "face value" terms: four quarters are $1 face and contain about 0.723 oz of silver in new condition, slightly less once worn. Dealers often quote common US silver as a multiple of face, for example 20 times face.
| Silver spot price per oz | One quarter | $10 face (40 quarters) | $100 face (400 quarters) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $3.62 | $145 | $1,446 |
| $25 | $4.52 | $181 | $1,808 |
| $30 | $5.42 | $217 | $2,170 |
| $35 | $6.33 | $253 | $2,531 |
| $40 | $7.23 | $289 | $2,893 |
| $50 | $9.04 | $362 | $3,616 |
| $60 | $10.85 | $434 | $4,339 |
Those are full melt figures. A dealer buying common silver usually pays a few percent under melt, sometimes at or slightly over when demand is high, and sells for a few percent over. Worn coins have lost a tiny amount of silver, which is why bulk "junk silver" is often priced at about 0.715 oz per $1 face rather than 0.723.
Common dates versus key dates
Most silver quarters are common. The Mint struck hundreds of millions of Washington quarters in the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, and the 1964 alone ran past 500 million. These are worth melt in circulated condition and a few dollars over melt when uncirculated. The key dates were made in small numbers, usually at a branch mint in a bad economic year, and they carry a collector premium that is far larger than the silver.
| Coin | Worn (Good to Very Good) | Fine to Extremely Fine | Uncirculated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington common date, 1932-1964 | Melt | Melt | Melt plus $3-15 |
| Washington 1932-D | $100-200 | $150-400 | $1,000-thousands |
| Washington 1932-S | $100-200 | $150-300 | $1,000+ |
| Washington 1936-D, 1937-S, 1939-S | Melt plus a little | $10-40 | $50-200 |
| Washington 1950-D/S, 1950-S/D | $30-60 | $60-150 | $300+ |
| Standing Liberty, common dated | $8-15 | $15-60 | $150-400+ |
| Standing Liberty, dateless | Melt | Melt | Rare |
| Standing Liberty 1916 | $4,000-8,000+ | $8,000-15,000+ | Five figures |
| Standing Liberty 1918/7-S | $1,000-2,500+ | $2,500-10,000 | Five figures |
| Barber, common date | Melt to $12 | $15-80 | $200-500+ |
| Barber 1896-S, 1913-S | $700-2,000+ | $1,500-5,000+ | Five figures |
| Barber 1901-S | $5,000+ | $10,000+ | Six figures possible |
Approximate prices like these assume an original coin with no problems. Holes, heavy scratches, corrosion and cleaning reduce every collector figure in the table, sometimes back down to melt.
Washington quarters, 1932-1964
The Washington quarter replaced the Standing Liberty design in 1932 for the bicentennial of Washington's birth. That first year, Denver and San Francisco struck only about 437,000 and 408,000 coins, which made them the keys of the whole series. After that, mintages grew into the millions and then the hundreds of millions. In practice, a silver Washington quarter in a jar is a 1940s, 1950s or 1960s coin worth its silver. The 1932-D and 1932-S are the ones to look for, and both are faked by adding a mint mark to a common 1932 Philadelphia coin.
Standing Liberty quarters, 1916-1930
Standing Liberty quarters had the date on a raised step, and it wore off quickly in circulation. A large share of the survivors are partly or fully dateless, and a dateless coin is worth its silver because nobody can tell which year it is. Dated, common coins bring a modest premium over melt. The 1916, with a mintage of about 52,000, is the key to every quarter series, and the 1918/7-S overdate shows a 7 underneath the final 8.
Barber quarters, 1892-1916
Named after the Mint engraver Charles Barber, these were in circulation for decades and most survivors are worn nearly smooth. Common dates sell for melt or a little more in low grades. The San Francisco keys from 1896, 1901 and 1913 are true rarities, and the 1901-S is one of the most valuable regular-issue quarters in any condition.
Why cleaned silver is usually only worth melt
Collectors pay for the original surface of a coin: the luster, the natural toning that develops over decades and the sharpness of the fine detail. Polishing, dipping in silver cleaner or rubbing with baking soda removes a thin layer of metal and leaves fine hairline scratches. Under magnification and tilted light, a cleaned coin looks flat and too bright, often with an unnatural white or yellow tone.
For a common date, that does not change much, because the coin was only worth its silver anyway. For an uncirculated coin or a key date, it is costly. A cleaned 1932-D still carries a premium, but PCGS and NGC will put it in a "details" holder, and buyers typically pay 30 to 70 percent less than for an original example. Dark, even toning is not a problem to fix. Leave every silver coin as found.
Common mistakes
- Judging silver by color. Worn clad quarters look gray, and toned silver can look almost black. The edge and the weight decide it, not the color.
- Thinking 1965 quarters are silver. Regular 1965 quarters are clad. A rare transitional error on a silver planchet exists, but nearly every 1965 with a gray edge is simply worn clad.
- Selling key dates in a bag of junk silver. Always check the date and mint mark of every coin before selling by weight.
- Using the wrong silver weight. The 0.1808 oz figure is pure silver. The coin itself weighs 6.25 grams, and only 90 percent of that is silver.
- Expecting a premium for age alone. A worn 1944 quarter is 80 years old and still common. Age is not rarity.
- Cleaning coins to make them look better. It cannot add value and usually removes it.
- Overlooking silver proofs. Quarters from the silver proof sets sold since 1992 are silver too, with an S mint mark and a mirror finish. Many get spent or sold as clad.
What to photograph
- The edge, side-on, showing stripe or no stripe. A stack of several coins makes this quick.
- The obverse straight on, so the type and date read clearly.
- A macro of the mint mark area on the reverse below the wreath (Washington) or on the step left of the date (Standing Liberty).
- The date close up with side light for Standing Liberty quarters, since a faint date can become readable with raking light.
- An angled-light photo of the surface for any coin that might be uncirculated or cleaned.
- A scale reading if the edge is unclear or the coin looks suspicious.
When to get it looked at in person
Common silver quarters do not need grading or appraisal. Their value is the silver, and a coin dealer or bullion dealer pays close to melt. Compare two or three offers per ounce or per dollar face if the lot is large. A few hundred dollars of face value is worth shopping around for, because offers can differ by several percent.
Key dates are different. A 1932-D, 1932-S, 1916 or 1918/7-S Standing Liberty, or a San Francisco Barber key should be seen in person before it is sold.
- A local coin dealer can confirm the date and mint mark quickly, usually without a charge, and make an offer below retail.
- PCGS or NGC grade and encapsulate coins for fees starting in the tens of dollars per coin, higher for valuable coins and fast service, plus shipping and a membership or dealer submission. Worth it when a coin is likely to sell for more than about $150.
- An auction house with a coin department suits a whole collection with several key dates.
For more on the rest of a typical silver hoard, see the guides to Mercury dimes and Kennedy half dollars, and the broader quarters checklist.