The United States has minted dollar coins since 1794. The coins have been made of many substances, gold, silver, copper, nickel, brass, zinc, & manganese, but the most popular is the US silver dollar. If you are interested in collecting silver US coins, you want to know how much silver is in a silver dollar.

As a rule, the composition of the US silver dollar is 90% silver and 10% copper. The actual silver weight (ASW) is .7736 troy ounces. There was a brief period of silver dollar production when the silver content was upped slightly to compete in foreign markets, but this coin, known as a Trade Dollar, was never intended for domestic circulation. The last circulating silver dollar coins minted in the 1970s contained only 40% silver to 60% copper nickel.

During the early years of US coinage, silver was at least as scarce as gold, and at some times, it was even more valuable. Mintage’s in the early years were very limited due to this scarcity of silver. There was a break in production in silver dollars of some 32 years from 1804 till 1836. Silver was just too scarce and too valuable. It was not until the finding of the “Comstock Lode” in 1850 in Nevada that large quantities of silver dollars could be produced. Even this huge silver find eventually played out. This resulted in another large gap in silver dollar production as the mint ran out of silver in 1904. It was not until after the huge melt of 1918 that silver dollar production was resumed in 1921. By 1926, this silver pool also was running low. Production quantities shrunk until they were again suspended in 1928, resuming only for two years in 1934-5.

Starting in 1986, the US mint began producing the Silver Eagle dollar coin which is 100% silver totaling a full troy ounce. This however is not a circulating coin as the silver content is worth at least 5 times as much as the face value. In the early years, when the silver content was more valuable then the face value, hoarding occurred. However, the value of a dollar up until the mid 1960s was historically significantly higher than the value of silver.

Do you know how much silver is in a silver dollar?

1804 Draped Bust Quoter in excellent condition was sold on Ebay. The winner will pay a US $10,601.01 for that interesting and rare coin.

Quarter dollars minted from 1804 through 1807 continue the Draped Bust obverse first used in 1796.

Quarter dollars of the 1804-1807 years are readily located in grades from About Good through Very Fine. Extremely Fine pieces are elusive, AU pieces are rare, and uncirculated pieces are exceedingly rare. Virtually without exception, issues of this design are lightly struck in one or more areas, with the obverse and reverse rims, the stars on the obverse, and the stars above the eagle on the reverse being typical areas of light impression.

Designed by: Robert Scot
Issue dates: 1804-1807
Composition: 0.8924 part silver, 0.1076 part copper
Diameter: 27.5 mm
Weight: 104 grains
Edge: Reeded
Business strike mintage: 554,900

The interesting rare dollar was get out a couple days ago. Its a 1799 Draped Bust Dollar with steel-gray patina over exceptionally clean surfaces. Winning bid: US $6,290.00.

Coin description:

1799 DRAPED BUST DOLLARS NGC AU53
Bolender 13, with irregular date, 13 stars in arc pattern. Breen calls ‘very rare’ & indicates that ‘EF may be finest.’ Handsome uniform steel-gray patina over exceptionally clean surfaces. Just slight rubbing on high points.

“Draped Bust” was the name given to a design of United States coins. It appeared on much of the regular-issue copper and silver United States coinage from 1795-1808. The denominations that featured the Draped Bust design included the half cent (1800-1808), large cent (1796-1807), half dime (1796-1805), dime (1796-1807), quarter (1796, 1804-1807), half dollar (1796-1807) and silver dollar (1795-1804). Gold coins did not carry this design.

The Greatest 100 U.S. Coins selected the 1804 silver dollar as the number one coin. It bears a heraldic eagle on the reverse and the price is prohibitive. Eight were minted in 1834 (Class I) and the rest minted in 1858 (Class II). The 1802 Half Dime ranks number 61. Only 3,000 were minted and the vast majority of these were either lost, melted or wore out. Most 1802 half dimes that do exist are in extremely poor condition. The 1797 Half Dollar (ranked 68)has the “small eagle” design. This design is rare due to the very low mintage and the inferior equipment and procedures. Less than 3,000 were minted. It’s companion, the even rarer 1796 half dollar (ranked 72) had a mintage of only 934. The pair constitute the sole mintage of the half dollar “small eagle” design. One is required for a complete Type Set, thus there are always more buyers than sellers. The 1796 quarter (seen above) ranked 71. It is also the “small eagle” design and is the only representative in this denomination of that design. Since it too is required for a complete Type Set, its price continues to rise. Only 6,000 quarters were minted that year. By comparison, the Tennessee State Quarter, one of five struck in 2002, had a mintage of 650,000,000. The mintage of all state quarters in 2002 was over 3 billion.)

The rare Morgan Silver Dollar was sold for US $9,299.99. 1893 year silver dollar preserve its original Solid AU-55 Condition.
eBay Description:

You are bidding on a Gorgeous Very Rare King Key Date 1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar in Solid AU-55 Condition. This coin is very hard to find in this uncleaned condition and would make a great investment. The pictures do not do this beauty any justice and she looks much better in hand. The obverse is a solid au-58 and the reverse is a solid au-55. This is one of the nicest examples of this coin I have come across in a long time.