Can you sell silver coins for melt value?
Christopher Davis
Updated on April 08, 2026
You can sell your silver coins for melt value by taking them to a coin dealer or bullion broker who is offering to buy silver coins. BOTTOM LINE: Coin dealers and bullion brokers will pay the best price for your junk silver coins.
Who buys silver coins for melt value?
In our opinion, one of the best places to take your coins for melt value is Midwest Refineries LLC who has been in the business of precious metals refining since 1939. They also pay one of the highest pay outs for your silver coins, namely, 90% of the market spot price of silver.
Can you make money melting silver coins?
It is illegal to sell the melted-down metal for profit, but coin pressing and creative endeavors such as jewelry making are legal. Gold and silver coins are circulated less than pennies and nickels, and the demand for them is low.
How much is scrap silver coins worth?
Intrinsic Coin Value Based on Current Silver Price
| Coin: | Silver Melt Value: | Silver Content (Troy Ounces): |
|---|---|---|
| 1878-1921 Morgan Silver Dollar | $18.493 | 0.77345 |
| 1921-1935 Peace Silver Dollar | $18.493 | 0.77345 |
| 1971-1976 Eisenhower (40% Silver) Dollar ** | $7.5612 | 0.31623 |
| 1986-2021 American Silver Eagle (99.9% Silver) | $23.886 | 0.999 |
How much will a pawn shop pay for silver coins?
Most bullion dealers will offer about 95 percent of the spot price, though this will vary depending on market conditions. Pawn shops will offer the lowest return — sometimes less than half of the bullion content.
Is it legal to sell coins?
Part 82 states that no person shall export, melt or treat any 5-cent coin or one-cent coin of the United States. However, there are a few exceptions such as for novelty, amusement, educational, jewelry and similar purposes.
How do I find out how much my silver coins are worth?
To determine the coin’s actual silver value, multiply the ASW by the spot price for silver. If you need to calculate the ASW of a coin, take the weight in grams, multiply by the fineness of the coin (e.g. 90%) and divide this figure by the total number of grams in a troy ounce (31.1034768).
Is it worth it to sell silver coins for melt value?
Remember the adage, a coin is only worth what someone will pay for it. Selling silver coins for melt value is, thus, quite an interesting and lucrative prospect too, provided that you do the requisite homework prior to taking them to the market.
Why is it illegal to melt junk silver?
Because they are no longer buying those metals to make the coins so they no longer fear the coins being bought for industrial uses rather than currency uses. You have been able to melt or export “junk silver” since 1965. It was illegal before then. Should you melt them?
Is it safe to melt a 1965 silver coin?
Personally I wouldn’t melt junk silver coins, because once it is melted down, there is no marking on it to show the purity and weight of the piece. It is generally known that pre-1965 coins contain silver, so the coin itself is the proof of silver contant. Once melted it’s hard to prove that it is actually silver.
Is it illegal to melt u.s.coins?
And it is great that they are U.S. coins because acquiring high melt-value-to-face-value ratio coins in another country and bringing them here would be expensive and is probably illegal in the country that mints them. It used to be that all coins worldwide had a high melt-value-to-face-value ratio. That ratio was the whole idea of the coins.
