What one Washington quarter is worth in silver
One Washington quarter contains 0.1808 troy ounces of pure silver, from a coin weighing 6.25 grams at 900 parts per thousand. At the current benchmark that metal is worth $11.55. The benchmark behind it was set on , and every figure on this page moves with it.
| How many | Face value | Pure silver | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.25 | 0.1808 ozt | $11.55 |
| 10 | $2.50 | 1.8085 ozt | $115.45 |
| 20 | $5.00 | 3.6170 ozt | $230.91 |
| 50 | $12.50 | 9.0424 ozt | $577.27 |
| 100 | $25.00 | 18.08 ozt | $1,154 |
What the coin is
A silver Washington quarter weighs 6.25 grams at 90% silver, giving 0.18085 troy ounces of pure silver. The series began in 1932 as a commemorative for the bicentennial of Washington’s birth, became the regular issue the following year, and kept the silver specification until the end of 1964.
From 1965 the quarter became copper-nickel clad: two outer layers of copper-nickel bonded to a pure copper core, weighing 5.67 grams with no silver in it. The difference is visible without any equipment. Stand a stack on edge and the clad coins show a distinct copper stripe running round the rim while the silver ones show a uniform grey.
Four silver quarters make one dollar of face value, and a dollar of face in 90% coin holds 0.7234 troy ounces as struck, or the 0.715 the trade pays on to allow for wear. Quarters, dimes and halves of this era were all struck to the same weight per dollar, which is why they are bagged and priced together without anyone sorting them.
Is it worth more than its metal?
The first year carries the only two dates in the series that are seriously valuable. The 1932-D and 1932-S were struck in small numbers during the Depression, around 436,000 and 408,000 respectively, and both are worth well over a hundred times their silver even in worn condition. Check every 1932 quarter for a mint mark on the reverse below the eagle.
The 1934 doubled die obverse and the 1943 doubled die are recognised varieties with real premiums, visible as doubling in the motto. Beyond those, circulated silver Washingtons from the 1940s through 1964 are extremely common and are bullion coins in all but name.
Proof coins and high grade uncirculated examples of the earlier dates are collected, but nothing you pull out of a coin jar is likely to fall into that category. If a quarter has never been in circulation and still carries full lustre, set it aside rather than bagging it.
Selling it
Silver quarters are the backbone of the junk silver market. They are bought by face value rather than by count, at a percentage of the melt value of 0.715 troy ounces per dollar of face, and the percentage a dealer offers is the only thing worth negotiating. Common dates carry no premium at all over that.
Do not sort by date beyond pulling the 1932s, and do not clean anything. For a normal jar of pre-1965 quarters the efficient move is to count the face value, work out the melt from that, and take the best of two or three local offers.
Melt, resale and appraisal value sets out why those three numbers differ for the same object, and how we calculate shows every constant used on this page.
Washington quarter questions
How much silver is in a pre-1965 quarter?
0.18085 troy ounces, from 6.25 grams at 90% fineness. Four of them make a dollar of face value, which holds 0.7234 troy ounces as struck.
Which quarters are silver?
Every US quarter dated 1964 or earlier. From 1965 the coin became copper-nickel clad with no silver. Later silver quarters exist only in special proof and collector sets, not in circulation.
How can I tell a silver quarter without reading the date?
Look at the edge. A clad quarter shows a copper-coloured stripe around the rim where the layers meet, and a silver one shows a uniform grey edge. Silver coins also ring at a higher pitch when dropped on a hard surface.
Are any Washington quarters rare?
The 1932-D and 1932-S are the key dates, each struck in numbers just over 400,000, and both are worth far more than their silver in any condition. The 1934 and 1943 doubled die varieties also carry premiums.