Which Canadian Coins Are Silver? Silver Content by Year and Denomination

Last reviewed October 1, 2026. Weights and fineness from published Royal Canadian Mint specifications.

Canadian dimes, quarters and 50-cent pieces dated 1967 or earlier contain silver, as do silver dollars from 1935 to 1967 and five-cent pieces up to 1921. Coins from 1858 to 1919 are 92.5% silver, coins from 1920 to 1967 are 80% silver, and some 1967 and 1968 dimes and quarters are 50% silver. Canadian circulation coins dated after 1968 contain no silver.

Jump to: Silver content chart 1967 and 1968 coins Working out melt value When a coin is worth more FAQ

Canadian silver coin chart by year and denomination

Canada struck its circulating silver coins to three standards. Sterling (92.5% silver) ran from the first decimal coins of 1858 until 1919. A 1920 coinage act cut the fineness to 80% while keeping weights and sizes the same, and that standard lasted until 1967. A 50% alloy appeared part way through 1967 for dimes and quarters only, and nickel replaced silver entirely during 1968.

The chart shows the silver standard, the official weight and the pure silver in a new, unworn coin. We use troy ounces because that is how silver is priced.

Pure silver is calculated as weight x fineness, divided by 31.1035 grams per troy ounce. Circulated coins have lost a little metal to wear, so a worn coin holds slightly less than the figure shown.

Two things stand out. First, the five-cent piece stopped being silver long before the others: Canada switched the nickel to nickel metal in 1922, so only nickels dated 1921 and earlier contain silver. Second, Canada's silver dollar only began in 1935, struck for King George V's Silver Jubilee. Every dollar from 1935 to 1967 is 80% silver and holds 0.60 ounces. Our guide to old Canadian silver dollar values covers the dollar series year by year.

1967 and 1968: the coins you need to check

Almost every sorting question comes back to two dates. In 1967, the centennial year, the Mint began striking dimes and quarters in a 50% silver alloy part way through the year, while the 50-cent piece and dollar stayed at 80%. In 1968 the dime and quarter changed again, this time from 50% silver to pure nickel, and the 50-cent piece and dollar went straight to nickel.

Sorting 1968 dimes and quarters

This one is easy at home. The silver and nickel versions look identical, but they differ in weight and in how they react to a magnet:

• Weight: a silver 1968 dime weighs 2.33 g, against 2.07 g for the nickel version. A silver 1968 quarter weighs 5.83 g, against 5.07 g for nickel. A kitchen scale that reads to 0.01 g is enough.
• Magnet: pure nickel is attracted to a strong magnet, while silver is not. A coin that lifts to a fridge magnet or a rare-earth magnet is the nickel version.

The silver version is far from rare. Mint records show about 70 million 50% silver dimes dated 1968, alongside a larger run of nickel ones.

Sorting 1967 dimes and quarters

This one is harder. The 80% and 50% versions of the 1967 dime and quarter have the same weight, the same size and the same centennial designs, so neither a scale nor a magnet separates them. Telling them apart reliably takes metal analysis such as X-ray fluorescence. Because of that, buyers usually price 1967 dimes and quarters conservatively. If you are selling a quantity of them, ask the buyer how they treat 1967 coins before you agree to a price.

How to work out the melt value of Canadian silver coins

Melt value is simply the pure silver in the coin multiplied by the silver spot price. You can check today's price on our silver spot price page, then use one of two methods.

By coin

Multiply the pure silver per coin from the chart by the spot price. At an example silver price of $50 an ounce (used for illustration only), an 80% quarter holds 0.150 oz, worth $7.50 in silver, and an 80% silver dollar holds 0.600 oz, worth $30.

By face value

Canadian silver coins of the same standard were made proportional to their face value, which gives a quick shortcut for mixed bags and rolls:

So a $10 face roll of 80% quarters holds about 6 troy ounces of pure silver, and $100 face of mixed 80% coins holds about 60 ounces, less a small allowance for wear. Some buyers apply a wear deduction of a few percent to heavily circulated coins.

Coins valued this way are often called junk silver, which simply means they trade on metal content rather than collector demand. Our guide to junk silver in Canada explains how investors use them as a lower-premium way to own silver in small units.

How to sort a jar or collection of Canadian coins for silver

If you have inherited a coin jar or an old collection, a few minutes of sorting tells you what is worth keeping separate. Work in this order:

1. Set aside the pennies and modern coins. Pennies were never silver, and anything dated 1969 or later is base metal. Loonies and toonies are base metal too, apart from special collector editions sold by the Mint.
2. Pull every dime, quarter, 50-cent piece and dollar dated 1967 or earlier. These are all silver. Keep pre-1920 coins in their own pile, since they are 92.5% silver rather than 80%.
3. Check the 1968 dimes and quarters. Weigh them or test them with a strong magnet to separate the 50% silver coins from the nickel ones.
4. Check nickels dated 1921 and earlier. These small coins are silver; everything from 1922 onward is not.
5. Look over the silver piles for anything special. Older dates, sharp unworn coins and anything still in mint packaging should be checked against a catalogue before being treated as melt.
6. Count by face value. Total each pile's face value and apply the per-dollar figures above to estimate the silver you have.

When a Canadian silver coin is worth more than its silver

Melt value is the floor, not the ceiling. Before you sell any older silver coins by weight, set aside anything that might carry a collector premium:

• Key dates with low surviving numbers. Examples include the 1921 50-cent piece, most of which was melted down in 1929, the 1921 five-cent piece, the 1948 silver dollar, and the 1936 "dot" dime, of which only about five are known.
• High grades. An uncirculated coin with original lustre can be worth many times melt, even for a common date. Never clean a coin before having it looked at, as cleaning destroys collector value.
• Varieties and errors. Die varieties, doubled dates and off-centre strikes can carry premiums.
• Mint sets and proof-like sets still in original packaging.

If you are not sure what you have, our guide to valuable Canadian coins is a good first check, and a numismatic reference such as the current Charlton catalogue gives date-by-date values.

Buying and selling Canadian silver coins

For buyers, 80% and 50% Canadian coins are one of the most practical ways to hold silver in small, recognizable units that are easy to count and divide. We carry them in our 90%, 80% and 50% silver coins category.

For sellers, a bullion dealer will usually price common-date silver coins on their silver content. To get a fair quote, sort your coins by standard first (sterling, 80%, 50% and nickel), separate the 1968 silver dimes and quarters from the nickel ones, and set aside any key dates or uncirculated coins for a closer look.

Frequently asked questions