40% Silver Coins

What are silver junk coins? It is said to be known that all the coins produced before the year 1965 have been given this name.  It also know that most of these contained 90% silver but what about the coins which were not 90%. Sources reveal that the silver content varied from 30-90%. We are here today to discuss about a particular set of coins that have gained their importance in the last five decades. Even if the coins containing any other contents of silver didn’t work, there was one that stood out and those were 40% silver coins.

Since there was dimes, quarters and half dollars produced during that period, that too in many forms it is difficult for one to specifically locate the 40% silver coins. Well to make it easier for you, we shall tell you which are the coins which were made to have 40% silver content. For that we shall go back in time, well the quarters which are dated 1965 or later all were copper-nickel coins, but there was a transition which saw the emergence of the Bicentennial quarters which were specially sold by the Mint in Mint Sets or Proof Sets.

These specially minted quarters had 40% silver content and to identify them easier, all these quarters had an “S” mint mark on them. Then we also saw the rise of the Kennedy Half Dollars, at the start all the coins produced had 90% silver content, later on coins produced from 1965 to 1970 had 40% silver content. Then we also saw another set of coins that is the Bicentennial halves and the Eisenhower dollars. All these produced from 1971 to 1974 had 40% silver content. These 40% silver coins were again distinguished by using the “S” Mint mark over them.

The price of these coins today is slightly less than the spot price of silver in the market. The reasons why they hold lesser value is because of the increased popularity of 90% silver coins and original bullion silver coins. The value of a these 40% silver coins today is as follows, almost 80 or 90 cents for a dime, then about $2.00 USD for a quarter and close to $4.00 USD for a half dollar. These coins are also available in form of silver bags with their face values ranging from $250, $500 or $1000. One can look up the internet for more buying options.