I have some old silver coins that I would like to sell.  What is the best way to go about this? — Amber in Pensacola, FL

If you are looking into selling silver or gold coins, the first step to consider is whether or not your coins have numismatic value. Coins with numismatic value are those that are worth more than their precious metal content. The value of rare coins is determined by four criteria:

  1. Rarity
  2. Quality
  3. Grade
  4. Popularity

For these types of coins, we recommend working with a rare coin dealer as you don’t want to sell them for their melt value.

Other silver coins are commonly referred to as “junk silver.” These coins have no value beyond their silver content. In the United States, most silver coins minted before 1964 have a fair amount of silver content and have value based on this precious metal content.

Here are a few examples of the most common junk silver coins we at Arch see.

  • (1942-1945) Silver War Nickel
  • (1916-1945) Mercury Dime
  • (1946-1964) Roosevelt Dime
  • (1932-1964) Washington Quarter
  • (1916-1947) Liberty Half Dollar
  • (1948-1963) Franklin Half Dollar
  • (1964) Kennedy Half Dollar
  • (1965-1970) Kennedy Half Dollar
  • (1878-1921) Morgan Dollar
  • (1921-1935) Peace Dollar
  • (1971-1976) Eisenhower Dollar
  • 1920-1967 Canadian Dime
  • 1920-1967 Canadian Quarter
  • 1920-1967 Canadian Half Dollar
  • 1935-1967 Canadian Dollar