Silver Quarters Central

While this site is primarily about silver quarters we shouldn’t exclude the quarter’s little brother the dime which was also made of 90% silver until the mid 1960s.

In the past the smaller size of dimes and the low price of silver made acquiring any significant amount of silver in the form of silver dimes a bit of a bulky enterprise. Now with silver prices hovering around $40 per ounce there is a lot more dollar value for each small coin than in times past.

The dime was first established as the tenth-of-a-dollar denomination coin by the passage of the Coinage Act of 1792. While the dime was initially composed of just under 90% silver from 1796 to 1837 the silver content was bumped up to 90% silver when the Seated Liberty dime was released.

Types of Silver Dimes

The types of silver dimes likely to be of most interest to collectors are the older coin types and any of the later editions that exhibit errors or other features that differentiate them from most of the general circulation coins.

The older variations of silver dimes are the:

• Draped Bust
• Capped Bust
• Seated Liberty
• Barber

The types more likely to be of interest to silver investors are the:

• Winged Head Liberty (usually called Mercury silver dimes)
• Roosevelt (the same design in circulation today)

Why Buy Silver Dimes?

The reasons to be interested in buying silver dimes are generally identical to those for purchasing junk silver quarters. In times of increased monetary inflation and financial instability real assets and goods are generally valued more highly than at other times when confidence in fiat currencies created by governments is still fairly solid.

Since we appear to be in an extended period of instability and turmoil many people are turning to the silver coinage of the past since it was more honest than the coinage in circulation today with it’s zinc and copper composition but unchanged face value.

Although dimes and quarters can be a slightly more inconvenient way of accumulating silver due to more complicated calculation required to determine the dollar value of a given quantity of coins they do have some other advantages over generic bars or rounds. One of these advantages is simply the familiarity that the general public still has with the idea of silver coinage.

Though these types of silver coins have not been in circulation for years many of them still look very similar to the base metal coins we use today and still think of as “money.” Theoretically this should make them easier to trade and barter with if the current monetary system deteriorates to the point that today’s debased coinage is not widely accepted by merchants.

So if you’ve been interested in silver quarters don’t hesitate to take a look at silver dimes as well since they have most of the same advantages and and are really just smaller versions of their quarter-dollar relatives.

So you’re interested in where you can buy silver quarters?! Over the years, the US has issued literally billions of silver quarters.

As an investment option, coins are a safe way to go as the value of silver quarters will always remain the same regardless of the value of its actual silver content.

Before You Buy Silver Quarters

There are several factors you’ll need to consider before purchasing coins, and these are similar to conditions for any commodity. The age and condition of silver quarters can greatly raise or diminish their numismatic worth. Plus, the demand and supply of the rarer coins can be a big factor. It should be noted that it is the year that some of the silver quarters were minted or issued that is of import, not their age.

That said, the condition of the coin is of great importance as wear can and does have the potential to lower it’s value. The coins from 1932-1964 are generally the most prized for people interested solely in acquiring the maximum amount of silver for the best price, due to their silver content and other factors as mentioned above.

When reasonably confident that one can spot a fake or gauge the value of a coin, the next step would be to actually go buy the quarters themselves. There are many places where you may obtain these coins: retail shops, online shops or even estate sales.

Where To Buy Silver Quarters

Online auction sites

• At online sites such as eBay and off2auction, you can find offers for all types of silver coins. Proofs, circulated and un-circulated silver quarters in all types of conditions are sold either singly or in bulk in form of bags of coins. The added advantage of purchasing from such auction sites is that you have the potential of buying at a lower price depending on how competitive the bidding is. The free shipping offered on many options is another potential benefit. However, you have to be careful when making such a purchase to avoid falling prey to scammers.

Dealers

• Dealers such as Amergold, Monex and Northwest Territorial Mint offer pre-1965 U.S. silver coins. They usually offers $1000 face value bags of U.S. silver quarters with the added guarantee that no one would be buying said coins at less than their face value so even if the silver price falls (it would have to fall considerably) you still have the face value worth $1000 in a single bag. This also allows you to buy silver quarters at a price lower than other forms of silver. They have the added option of shipping your purchases in sealed bags for additional security. They offer ways you can buy silver quarters and other coins online too.

Coin shops online

• These sites offer bulk purchasing of silver quarters. The advantage of this is that you may find a truly valuable coin among the collection as they were initially purchased at estate sales. This means that there is a good chance of buying a coin at its face value then selling it for far more.

Flea markets and yard sales

• These are good places for attempting to obtain really rare coins. Many families have stashes of coins, hoarded up over the years and passed down through generations. The chance of picking up a truly valuable coin for a very low price is high since many seller’s may not be informed of what they are selling or there may not be time for buyers to examine the items fully to judge the value. The disadvantage of this is going a long way only to be disappointed.

The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) offers a list of authorized dealers where one may buy silver quarters (and obtain other coins of all types too), including silver, dimes and especially rare silver quarters.

It offers a list of coin dealers by state and can go a long way towards identifying a retail shop nearby. Other coin site directories, such as Coin Resource, also offer information on good places to buy silver quarters.

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With a denomination of 25 cents, the minting of silver quarters was authorized in 1792 with the first silver quarter coins being issued in 1796. Its origins can be traced to the splitting of the Spanish coins into eight sections and the combining of two of these formed the quarter. It was not until 1804 when they were marked with the value of 25c on the reverse side.

Production Years for Silver Quarters

1796-1838

• The first silver quarters issued were from Philadelphia though they had no mint marks and had approximately 90% silver content. They begun being produced from 1796 and these earliest of issues were of the Bust Quarter variety and included: Draped Bust and the Capped Bust mainly. They measured a diameter of 24.3 mm and weighed 6.74gms.

1838-1891

• Next were the  Seated Liberty varieties of 1838 which had 90% silver content with the weight varying between 6.22- 6.68. They were minted from Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City and stopped being produced around 1891.

1892-1930

• The next two varieties also had 90% silver content. The Liberty Head, commonly known as the Barber was issued from Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans and San Francisco from 1892 till 1916 at a weight of 6.25gms. The initial of the designer graces the neck of LIBERTY on these coin varieties which have reeded edges. The Standing Liberty Quarter, minted from 1916-1930, was similar to this only that they never came out of New Orleans; LIBERTY’s breast was covered in these issues. The date was also set into a depression so as to protect it from wear.

1932-1964

• The Washington Quarter of 1932 also had 90% silver though the editions from 1965 on-wards were debased and are known as clad coinage. These issues were similar in weight and dimensions to the earlier two productions and was minted from the same cities as the Standing Liberty issues. Collectors value the early Washington Quarters more highly than the later varieties. Beginning in 1932, silver quarters were minted through several years with their production stopping in 1964- though some silver quarters that were dated 1964 were still in production in 1965 as a transition to nickel-copper coinage was being done.

The End of Silver Quarters

At the opening of the 1960s, a demand for silver led to a shortage that forced the American Treasury to stop the production of coins with such high silver content as the coins were being saved by citizens or melted down for their silver value. As such, the Coinage Act of 1965 led to the removal of silver from American coinage due to the rising prices of silver. The Act was slow in coming into action thus the Treasury continued to strike silver bearing coins right up to 1966. These coins were however dated 1964. As such, the last quarters minted from silver were produced in 1966.

The silver quarters that were being issued as of 1932 were composed of 90% in total silver content, coming to a total weight of about 0.18 ounces. They were majorly minted in San Francisco and Denver and bear mintmarks from these two cities. However, some silver quarters were also struck, though in special occasions and not for general issue.

The Bicentennial Quarter of 1976 was struck to commemorate the 200th anniversary of independence. These were actually minted in 1975 and the following year though they cannot be told apart from each other. These should not be confused with the varieties that came after 1965-in that they have no silver. The Bicentennial variety being spoken of here had 40% in silver content.

Curious about the silver content of quarters? Oddly enough it’s a very old story…

From ancient times, metals such as silver have been used as a medium of trade all over the world. The most expensive and valuable metals, mainly silver and gold, were forged into coins to determine and measure value numerically.

The most valued but expensive metals were traded in for more convenient but light ones. The lighter metals were used to represent the value they held of the more expensive ones. This further evolved into paper money until eventually, today’s paper money which merely represents the value of past hard coinage while not backed by any precious metal or specie.

Silver Content of Quarters in the U.S.

The coin refuses to die off. Instead, it survives every turn by changing from one precious metal to another. Take for instance the American quarter. Since its inception in 1792 with the enactment of the Coinage Act, it has changed metal on several occasions in order to adapt to the changing money markets it operates in. The Mint Act of 1890 made it possible to change coin designs every 25 years.

In 1916, the US Mints in Philadelphia and Denver were still making the Barber quarter but later that year, the Philadelphia Mint began producing the Standing Liberty quarter.

Both coin versions were similar in the quantity of silver contained (approximately 0.1808 ounces) but were designed by two different men.

Charles Barber made the Barber using new technology at the time to create better engraving designs while Herman McNeil produced the Standing Liberty coins.

The Barber later proved to be the more durable craftsmanship. Barber coins were made until 1916 and are approximated to have been about 1,788,000 produced. In comparison, Standing Liberty quarters amount to approximately 52,000 making them the more valuable of the 1916 coins.

The Standing Liberty quarters were produced until 1932 when they were replaced by the Washington silver quarters. The rarest Washington quarters were made in San Francisco and Denver in 1932 and their low production numbers makes these some of the most valuable quarters. They contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.

The Change in the Silver Content of Quarters

In 1964, however, the shortage of silver “forced” the Congress to initiate some changes in the metal content of these coins. The silver coins were replaced with 75 percent copper coins clad in 25 percent nickel in 1965.

Over its years in circulation, the Washington quarter underwent some redesigns beginning with the mintmark relocation from the reverse to the obverse in 1968 but was returned to its original design in 1977.

In 1992, the silver content was briefly reinstated in the San Francisco Mint. This changed again in 1999 when legislation passed initiating the State Quarter Design in which five states were to be honored by having them included in the reverse of their individual quarters.

The current quarters in circulation are mainly a mix of copper and nickel in the ratio 8.33 percent nickel and 91.67 copper. They are relatively cheap to produce and are designed for durability with modern engraving methods making it all the easier and faster to produce on a large scale.

As you can see the bad news is that the silver content of quarters is now 0% however the good news is you are still able to find old silvers quarters to invest in.