Home › Times face
What junk silver is worth, times face
The dealer multiple, computed live and explained.
Junk silver is quoted in "times face": the metal value of $1 of face value. At silver $68.58 per ounce, that multiple is 49.0x face by the circulated convention.
- $1 of face value in circulated 90% silver coin is worth about $49.03 (49.0 times face) at silver $68.58/ozt, as of .
- As minted (no wear), $1 face is 0.7234 ozt of silver, worth $49.61 (49.6x face).
- A silver dollar (Morgan or Peace) is a different multiple: 53.0x its $1 face, because dollars carry more silver per dollar of face than smaller denominations.
Times-face at different silver prices
| Silver price | Times face (circulated, 0.715 ozt/$1) | $100 face is worth |
|---|---|---|
| $54.86 | 39.2x | $3,922.55 |
| $61.72 | 44.1x | $4,412.87 |
| $68.58 | 49.0x | $4,903.18 |
| $75.43 | 53.9x | $5,393.50 |
| $82.29 | 58.8x | $5,883.82 |
Where "20x face" came from
Dealers have quoted junk silver as a face-value multiple since the 1970s, when silver near $1.40 made the multiple close to 1x and every dollar move in spot shifted it by 0.715. The multiple is just spot × 0.715; there is nothing else in it. War nickels quote differently (77x face today) because their silver-to-face ratio is much higher.
Melt value is the floor, not an appraisal. Coins with collector value trade above their metal content, and dealers buy below melt and sell above it to earn a margin. This site publishes the metal arithmetic only - never buy or sell quotes, and never price predictions.
Price an actual stack with the junk silver calculator.