Modern dimes (1965 onward) are 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel clad over a pure copper core — zero silver. Pre-1965 silver dimes are 90% silver and 10% copper, containing 0.07234 troy oz of pure silver each, worth many times face value at current spot prices.
Dimes minted from 1965 through 2025 (and from 2027 onward) are made of 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel clad over a pure copper core and contain no silver; pre-1965 silver dimes are 90% silver and 10% copper, holding 0.07234 troy oz of pure silver, so their melt value equals that silver content multiplied by the current spot price.
The Coinage Act of 1965 ended silver in circulating dimes. Any dime dated 1964 or earlier — whether a Roosevelt, Mercury (Winged Liberty), or Barber dime — is 90% silver and 10% copper, weighs 2.500 g, and carries an Actual Silver Weight (ASW) of 0.07234 troy oz. Multiply that figure by the current silver spot price to get the coin's melt value. Dimes dated 1965 through 2025, and the 2026 Emerging Liberty dime, are 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel clad; they contain no silver and their melt value is effectively face value only.
The table below covers every major dime composition from the Seated Liberty era through the 2026 one-year exception. The critical dividing line is 1965: dimes dated 1964 and earlier are silver; dimes dated 1965 and later are copper-nickel clad with no silver content. Use the year stamped on your dime to locate the correct row and silver content.
| Years | Composition | Weight | Metal content | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1837–1891 | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | 2.67 g (1837–53) / 2.49 g (1853–73) / 2.50 g (1873–91) | 0.07234 troy oz ASW (post-1873 standard; varies slightly earlier) | Seated Liberty dime; multiple weight standards within the era; all are 90% silver post-1853. |
| 1892–1916 | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | 2.50 g | 0.07234 troy oz ASW | Barber dime; Liberty head with Phrygian cap; same silver content as later 90% dimes. |
| 1916–1945 | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | 2.50 g | 0.07234 troy oz ASW | Mercury (Winged Liberty) dime; designed by Adolph A. Weinman; the 1916-D is the series key. |
| 1946–1964 | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | 2.50 g | 0.07234 troy oz ASW | Roosevelt silver dime; last silver circulating dime; 0.7234 troy oz silver per $1 face value. |
| 1965–2025 | 91.67% Cu / 8.33% Ni clad over pure Cu core | 2.268 g | 0 troy oz silver | Clad Roosevelt dime; Coinage Act of 1965 removed all silver; no melt premium over face value. |
| 2026 only | 91.67% Cu / 8.33% Ni clad over pure Cu core | 2.268 g | 0 troy oz silver | Emerging Liberty one-year exception; NOT Roosevelt; dual date 1776~2026; standard clad composition. |
| 2027+ | 91.67% Cu / 8.33% Ni clad over pure Cu core | 2.268 g | 0 troy oz silver | Roosevelt obverse returns; clad composition unchanged from 1965 standard. |
Four tests identify a silver dime without any special equipment. Edge test: hold the dime on its edge against a white background — a silver dime shows continuous silver running around the entire rim, while a clad dime reveals a visible copper stripe sandwiched between two thin outer layers. Date test: any dime dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver; 1965 or later is clad. Ring test: drop the coin on a hard surface — silver dimes produce a clear, high-pitched ring; clad dimes sound flat and dull. Weight test: a pre-1965 silver dime weighs 2.500 g versus 2.268 g for the clad coin, a difference detectable on a precise gram scale. The magnetic test does not work here — neither silver nor clad dimes are magnetic.
The calculator below converts a quantity of pre-1965 silver dimes into a melt value in US dollars. Enter the number of coins, a roll count, or a face-value dollar amount. The calculator applies the standard 0.07234 troy oz ASW per coin against the live silver spot price. Clad dimes (1965 onward) contain no silver and return a melt value of $0.00 above face value.
Melt value = ASW (troy oz) × spot price ($/troy oz)
Each pre-1965 US dime — whether a Roosevelt silver dime (1946–1964), a Mercury dime (1916–1945), or an earlier 90% silver issue — contains 0.07234 troy oz of pure silver. That figure is derived from the coin's standard weight of 2.500 g and its 90% silver composition: 2.500 g × 0.90 = 2.250 g of pure silver, converted to troy ounces at 31.1035 g per troy oz gives 0.07234 troy oz (rounded to five decimal places). This is the Actual Silver Weight (ASW).
The junk silver convention uses a slightly different entry point. One dollar of face value in pre-1965 dimes equals ten coins, each with 0.07234 troy oz ASW, for a total of 0.7234 troy oz per $1 face. The industry standard for circulated junk silver adjusts this to 0.715 troy oz per $1 face to account for metal lost to wear over decades of circulation. The calculator applies the 0.715 oz/face-dollar multiplier when the 'circulated' wear toggle is active, and the full 0.7234 oz/face-dollar when 'mint state' is selected.
Silver spot prices are fetched from the coins-value.com spot feed (updated three times per weekday and once per weekend day) and displayed as $74.64 per troy oz at the time of page render. The per-coin melt value displayed is $5.40. The calculator does not add dealer spread — the displayed figure is the theoretical gross melt value, not a transaction quote. To estimate what a dealer would pay, apply the 85–100% buy-range described in the dealer spread section below.
Clad dimes (1965–2025 and the 2026 Emerging Liberty issue) contain no silver. The copper and nickel in a 2.268 g clad dime have a combined base-metal value well below face value, so the melt value for clad dimes is effectively $0 above their $0.10 face value. The calculator returns $0.00 for any coin selected from the clad rows.
Two categories of dimes fall outside the simple silver-or-clad binary: the 2026 one-year Emerging Liberty design change, and certain proof errors. Neither involves a composition change, but both affect collector value independently of melt value.
Composition: No composition change — same 91.67% Cu / 8.33% Ni clad, 2.268 g
Weight: No change — 2.268 g standard
How to spot: The 2026 dime does NOT show Roosevelt on the obverse; it carries the Emerging Liberty allegorical figure and the dual date '1776 ~ 2026' on the reverse.
Under Public Law 116-330 (the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020), the 2026 dime features a one-year-only Emerging Liberty obverse honoring the 250th anniversary of US independence. The composition is unchanged from the standard clad dime, so the 2026 dime carries no silver melt value. The Roosevelt obverse returns in 2027. The one-year-only nature of the design gives 2026 dimes modest collector interest, but their melt value is identical to any other clad dime — effectively zero above face.
Composition: No composition change — proof issues use same clad composition (1968+) or silver composition (pre-1965 proofs)
Weight: No change
How to spot: Missing 'S' mint mark on proof coin; requires loupe or magnification to confirm absence of mint mark next to the date.
When the US Mint relocated the mint mark from the reverse to the obverse in 1968, certain proof dies were prepared without the 'S' mark, producing rare error coins. The 1975 No-S Proof is the rarest modern dime with only 2 confirmed examples, valued at over $200,000. The 1970 No-S has roughly 2,200 known examples worth $400–$1,000 each. These coins have numismatic value far exceeding melt value, so melt calculations do not apply. Always confirm attribution through PCGS or NGC before treating a suspected No-S as an error.
The Coinage Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-81, signed July 23, 1965) removed silver entirely from the dime and quarter. Dimes dated 1964 are the last 90% silver circulating issues; dimes dated 1965 are the first copper-nickel clad coins.
| Era | Years | Weight | Composition | Metal content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver dime | 1873–1964 | 2.500 g | 90% Ag / 10% Cu | 0.07234 troy oz ASW per coin; 0.7234 troy oz per $1 face |
| Clad dime | 1965–2025, 2026 (Emerging Liberty), 2027+ | 2.268 g | 91.67% Cu / 8.33% Ni clad over pure Cu core | 0 troy oz silver |
The edge is the fastest way to distinguish a silver dime from a clad one without a scale. On a silver dime, the edge shows solid silver all the way around — no layering visible. On a clad dime, the edge reveals a thin copper stripe sandwiched between two silver-colored nickel-copper layers; this copper stripe is clearly visible with the naked eye. Beyond the edge test, weigh the coin: a pre-1965 silver dime is 2.500 g and a clad dime is 2.268 g — a 0.232 g difference that a jeweler's scale detects instantly. The ring test is also reliable: silver dimes produce a clear, sustained tone when dropped on a hard surface, while clad dimes sound noticeably flatter. Date alone works if the date is legible: 1964 and earlier equals silver; 1965 and later equals clad.
Pre-1965 silver dimes are among the most liquid junk silver instruments in the US market. Three main venues handle them, each with different speed, price, and friction trade-offs.
| Venue | Typical payout | Friction |
|---|---|---|
| Local coin shop (LCS) | 85–95% of melt value for circulated junk silver rolls | Low — walk in, get a quote, leave with cash or check same day |
| Online precious-metals dealer (APMEX, JM Bullion, Provident, etc.) | 90–100% of melt value for larger quantities (typically $100+ face) | Medium — ship insured, wait 3–7 business days for payment after receipt |
| eBay / direct collector sale | 95–110% of melt for sought-after dates; junk rolls often near melt | High — listing, shipping, 12.9% eBay fee, buyer disputes; best for key dates, not bulk junk silver |
Dealer buy prices for junk silver dimes fluctuate with silver spot and with the dealer's current inventory position. A shop that has just taken in a large lot of junk silver may temporarily lower its buy price; a shop running low may pay closer to 100% of melt. When selling a quantity of pre-1965 dimes, call two or three local dealers for quotes before committing. For key-date or uncirculated coins — 1916-D Mercury dimes, 1946 first-year Roosevelts in high grade, or any suspected No-S proof — get a numismatic appraisal rather than treating the coin as junk silver. Melt value is always the floor, never the ceiling, for a rare coin.
The dealer spread is the gap between the melt value a calculator displays and the cash a dealer offers when buying. For circulated junk silver dimes, dealers typically pay 85–100% of melt value, depending on quantity, local market conditions, and the current silver spot price. The spread exists because dealers bear refining cost, storage cost, price-movement risk between purchase and resale, and the margin needed to operate a business.
Refining is the primary cost driver. A dealer who buys junk silver at melt must eventually sell it to a refiner or secondary market at or near melt. Refiners charge a fee — typically 1–3% of metal value plus a per-lot minimum — which the dealer must recover through the spread. Dealers also account for assay risk: not every coin presented as 90% silver is genuine, and testing takes time and resources.
Market volatility adds a second layer. Silver prices move intraday, and a dealer who pays 98% of melt based on a morning spot price faces a loss if silver drops 3% before the dealer resells. The wider the spread, the more buffer the dealer holds against adverse price movement. For this reason, spreads tend to narrow when silver spot is stable and widen when spot is volatile. When calculating what you might actually receive for a bag or roll of pre-1965 dimes, apply the 85–100% range to the calculated melt value rather than expecting a 1:1 exchange. The melt value figure is the market floor reference — the theoretical maximum before any transaction costs.
Dimes minted from 1965 through 2025, and from 2027 onward, are made of 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel cupronickel clad over a pure copper core. They contain no silver. Pre-1965 dimes — including all Roosevelt silver dimes (1946–1964), Mercury dimes (1916–1945), and Barber dimes (1892–1916) — are 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 2.500 g with an ASW of 0.07234 troy oz each.
Check the edge first: a pre-1965 silver dime shows continuous silver running around the entire rim; a clad dime shows a copper stripe sandwiched between two outer nickel-copper layers. The date is the simplest filter — 1964 and earlier means 90% silver, 1965 and later means clad and no silver. A precise gram scale confirms the distinction: silver dimes weigh 2.500 g; clad dimes weigh 2.268 g. Neither type is magnetic.
Each pre-1965 US dime contains 0.07234 troy oz of pure silver, derived from a total weight of 2.500 g at 90% silver (2.250 g pure silver / 31.1035 g per troy oz). In junk silver terms, $1 of face value in pre-1965 dimes equals 0.7234 troy oz silver in uncirculated condition, or the industry-standard 0.715 troy oz for circulated coins. Multiply either figure by the current silver spot price to estimate melt value.
Melt value equals the coin's ASW (0.07234 troy oz) multiplied by the current silver spot price. The calculator on this page performs that calculation in real time using the live spot feed. As a reference, at a silver spot of $30 per troy oz the melt value is approximately $2.17 per coin; at $35 per troy oz it is approximately $2.53. Clad dimes (1965 onward) contain no silver and have a melt value of $0.00 above their face value.
The 2026 dime is made of the same 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel clad composition as the standard modern dime, weighing 2.268 g. It contains no silver. The 2026 coin does carry a one-year-only design change: the Emerging Liberty obverse replaces Roosevelt, and the reverse is modified for the dual date '1776 ~ 2026' marking the US semiquincentennial. The Roosevelt obverse returns in 2027.
The clad Roosevelt dime (1965–2025, 2027 onward) and the 2026 Emerging Liberty dime weigh 2.268 g with a mint tolerance of ±0.091 g. Pre-1965 silver dimes weigh 2.500 g. The difference of 0.232 g is detectable on a jeweler's or postal scale and is one of the reliable tests for identifying silver dimes.
Rising silver prices in the early 1960s drove the intrinsic metal value of silver dimes above their face value, causing hoarding and coin shortages. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-81, signed July 23, 1965) authorizing the switch to copper-nickel clad. The 1964 dime was the last 90% silver circulating issue; the 1965 dime was the first clad version. Cents and nickels were not affected by this change.
The Mercury dime (1916–1945) is technically called the Winged Liberty Head dime. The obverse shows Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap — not the Roman god Mercury, though the nickname stuck. Adolph A. Weinman designed it after winning the 1915 Mint competition. Mercury dimes are 90% silver, 2.500 g, and carry the same 0.07234 troy oz ASW as Roosevelt silver dimes. The 1916-D (mintage 264,000) is the rarest regular-issue Mercury dime.
Among modern proof dimes, the 1975 No-S Proof is the rarest with only 2 confirmed examples; values exceed $200,000. Among all US dimes, the 1894-S Barber dime is the rarest — only 9 of the 24 struck are known to exist, with auction prices over $1.9 million. Neither coin should be treated as junk silver; both require authentication by PCGS or NGC before any sale.
Yes. The dime has 118 reeds (small vertical ridges) on its edge. The reeded edge dates from the first silver dime issues — historically a deterrent against clipping or shaving precious metal from the edge. Modern clad dimes preserve the same 118-reed pattern for visual continuity, even though the coin contains no silver. The reeded edge is also useful as a quick check: if the ridges are present and the edge shows copper, the coin is clad.
The current Roosevelt design was created by John R. Sinnock, Chief Engraver of the US Mint from 1925 to 1947. He designed the Roosevelt dime in 1945, shortly before his death. His initials 'JS' appear at the base of FDR's bust. The preceding Mercury dime was designed by Adolph A. Weinman (1916–1945). The 2026 one-year Emerging Liberty design's obverse designer attribution was not confirmed in the sources used for this page — check usmint.gov for the official attribution.
A standard roll of dimes contains 50 coins and has a face value of $5.00. For pre-1965 silver dimes, a full roll contains 50 × 0.07234 = 3.617 troy oz of silver in uncirculated condition, or 50 × the circulated-wear factor for junk silver. Multiply the total troy ounces by the current silver spot price to get the gross melt value. For circulated junk silver, the industry uses 0.715 troy oz per $1 face, so a $5 face roll carries 3.575 troy oz — multiply by spot to get melt value.
Melt value is the floor. A high-grade Roosevelt silver dime, a Full Bands Mercury, or a low-mintage date may be worth several times its silver content to a collector. Look up individual coin values by year, mint mark, and grade.
Check Roosevelt and Mercury dime values →The Assay app identifies US coins by photo and returns the design, date range, and composition instantly — useful for confirming whether an edge-worn coin is a Roosevelt silver, a Mercury, or a clad issue before you take it to a dealer.
All melt values shown are informational market-floor references computed from published metal content and live spot prices; they are not transaction quotes, and actual dealer offers will reflect refining costs, dealer margin, and market conditions at the time of sale.