13 silver-bearing specification periods

How much silver is actually in it

Every figure in this table is the Mint's published weight multiplied by its published fineness and divided by a troy ounce. None of it is transcribed from anywhere, which means none of it can be a copying error.

The arithmetic

A troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams. That is the only constant on this page, and it is a definition rather than a measurement. Everything else comes out of the Mint’s tables.

So the silver in a coin is its standard weight in grams, multiplied by the proportion of that weight which is silver, divided by 31.1034768. An 80 per cent silver 25-cent coin weighs 5.83 grams, so it holds 5.83 times 0.8 divided by 31.1034768, which is 0.1500 troy ounces.

Doing it this way rather than typing 0.1500 into a table matters more than it sounds. A transcribed constant is a constant that can be wrong, and it can be wrong silently for years. A derived one is wrong only if the source is wrong, and the source is named on every page.

Worked example

5.83 g x 0.800
÷ 31.1034768 g
= 0.1500 ozt

One 80 per cent silver 25-cent coin, worth $13.32 at the current silver price.

.925 silver · 92.5% by weight

Coin	Years	Weight	Silver	Per $1 face	Value today	$100 face today
5 cents nickel	1908 - 1919	1.167 g	0.0347 ozt	0.6941 ozt	$3.08	$6,163
10 cents dime	1908 - 1910	2.32 g	0.0690 ozt	0.6900 ozt	$6.13	$6,127
10 cents dime	1910 - 1919	2.33 g	0.0693 ozt	0.6929 ozt	$6.15	$6,153
25 cents quarter	1908 - 1910	5.81 g	0.1728 ozt	0.6911 ozt	$15.34	$6,137
25 cents quarter	1910 - 1919	5.83 g	0.1734 ozt	0.6935 ozt	$15.40	$6,158
50 cents half dollar	1908 - 1919	11.62 g	0.3456 ozt	0.6911 ozt	$30.69	$6,137

.800 silver · 80% by weight

Coin	Years	Weight	Silver	Per $1 face	Value today	$100 face today
5 cents nickel	1920 - 1921	1.167 g	0.0300 ozt	0.6003 ozt	$2.67	$5,331
10 cents dime	1920 - 1967	2.33 g	0.0599 ozt	0.5993 ozt	$5.32	$5,321
25 cents quarter	1920 - 1952	5.83 g	0.1500 ozt	0.5998 ozt	$13.32	$5,326
50 cents half dollar	1920 - 1967	11.66 g	0.2999 ozt	0.5998 ozt	$26.63	$5,326
1 dollar	1935 - 1967	23.3 g	0.5993 ozt	0.5993 ozt	$53.21	$5,321

.500 silver · 50% by weight

Coin	Years	Weight	Silver	Per $1 face	Value today	$100 face today
25 cents quarter	1967 - 1968	5.05 g	0.0812 ozt	0.3247 ozt	$7.21	$2,883

Everything with silver in it, in one list

Sorted by silver content, richest first
Coin	Years	Composition	Silver	Value today
1 dollar	1935 - 1967	80% silver, 20% copper	0.5993 ozt	$53.21
50 cents	1908 - 1919	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper	0.3456 ozt	$30.69
50 cents	1920 - 1967	80% silver, 20% copper	0.2999 ozt	$26.63
25 cents	1910 - 1919	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper	0.1734 ozt	$15.40
25 cents	1908 - 1910	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper	0.1728 ozt	$15.34
25 cents	1920 - 1952	80% silver, 20% copper	0.1500 ozt	$13.32
25 cents	1953 - 1967	80% silver, 20% copper	0.1500 ozt	$13.32
25 cents	1967 - 1968	50% silver, 50% copper	0.0812 ozt	$7.21
10 cents	1910 - 1919	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper	0.0693 ozt	$6.15
10 cents	1908 - 1910	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper	0.0690 ozt	$6.13
10 cents	1920 - 1967	80% silver, 20% copper	0.0599 ozt	$5.32
5 cents	1908 - 1919	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper	0.0347 ozt	$3.08
5 cents	1920 - 1921	80% silver, 20% copper	0.0300 ozt	$2.67

Weights, finenesses and periods: Royal Canadian Mint published circulation coin specifications, retrieved 2026-09-04. Silver content is derived from those two published figures. Prices are live silver, converted at the Bank of Canada’s published daily rate, and are the value of the metal only. Methodology.