JarSort · Inherited coin values
Canadian silver melt value
Canadian silver coins are worth their metal before they are worth anything else. At the Oct 24, 2026 silver spot of $53.80 per troy ounce, a common-date Canadian silver dollar melts for $32.28, a quarter for $8.07, a dime for $3.23, and a 5-cent piece for $1.61. The table below covers every denomination — and the fineness history that changes the numbers.
The three numbers that matter
Prices as of Oct 24, 2026 · Silver spot $53.80/ozt (Kitco) · Circulated, common date, problem-free, raw (uncertified) unless stated
Melt is the floor, not the price: a dealer pays below melt for common silver (they must resell it), and a key date is worth far more than melt. The fineness matters — .925 sterling holds about 16% more silver than .800 for the same denomination.
Melt table — Oct 24, 2026 spot ($53.80/ozt)
| Denomination | .800 fine (1920–1966) | Sterling .925 (to 1919) | .500 fine (1967–68) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 cents | $1.61 (0.0300 oz) | $1.86 (0.0345 oz) | — |
| 10 cents (dime) | $3.23 (0.0600 oz) | $3.73 (0.0694 oz) | $2.02 (0.0375 oz) |
| 25 cents (quarter) | $8.07 (0.1500 oz) | $9.33 (0.1734 oz) | $5.05 (0.0938 oz) |
| 50 cents | $16.14 (0.3000 oz) | $18.66 (0.3469 oz) | — |
| 1 dollar | $32.28 (0.6000 oz) | — | — |
1968 .500 silver uses the NGC weight (quarter $5.05, dime $2.02). The Royal Canadian Mint lists a lower silver weight for 1968 (quarter $4.37, dime $1.75) — both figures are shown on the 1968 quarter and 1968 dime pages.
The fineness history in one paragraph
Canadian silver was sterling (.925) to 1919, .800 fine from 1920 to 1966, then .500 in 1967–68, then gone — nickel from 1968. US silver, by contrast, was .900 throughout. That is why a Canadian dime and a US dime of the same year melt for different amounts, and why the date on a Canadian coin changes the melt, not just the premium.
How to use this table
Weigh the coin, read the date, find the fineness, multiply by the current spot. If the coin is a key date (1921 5¢, 1948 dollar, 1936 dot series), the melt is irrelevant — get it authenticated instead.
No signup wall for your first coin. No AI photo recognition is claimed or used — you confirm year and mint mark yourself.