Junk Silver: Best Junk Silver Coins to Buy

Junk silver is incredibly popular for investors right now because of the rising price of gold, the lower value of the dollar and the possibility of inflation. However, there are many junk silver coin purchase options and it is critical buyers make the right choices.

Junk silver coins are any US silver dime, quarter or halve minted before 1965 and which have 90% of their weight in real silver. Coins minted after this date are called clads and have either very little or no silver content and are primarily comprised of copper, zinc and other metals.

For many, junk silver investment can include older US coins like Morgan silver dollars, Franklin halves, Barber and Mercury head dimes. However, new investors might do well to limit their purchases to newer US junk silver coins. Here's why.

Newer junk silver coins, those minted between 1960-1964, have 90% silver content, but many were circulated less than the older coins listed above. Thus, they may have most of their silver content and less loss due to circulation.

Further, Barber and Morgan coins are highly sought by coin collectors making the bid price sometimes higher than than the silver value.

1960-1964 silver coins include the Roosevelt dime and the Washington quarter (both still in use today) and the Kennedy halve (1964 only). Franklin halves, minted from 1948 to 1963, are 90% silver, but often desired by collectors unlike the "plain" Kennedy halve.

Interestly, when the government announced that coins would have less or no silver content, thousands of American quickly scooped up all the common coins, Roosevelt, Washington and Kennedy, and put them away. So they have less wear and retain most of the silver content.

New investors might want to limit their junk silver purchases to these coins as they are still common, have less numistatic interest and possibly have most of their silver content due to less circulation.