how common are silver quarters in circulation?

Interesting discussion and I tried to arrive at a surviving number a while back for the 1881-O Morgan Dollar. Starting with 5,708,000; assuming the big government melt happened proportionally; and a loss rate of only 0.1% of the remaining coins to any source like Government melting, dealer melting, losing the coin, wear, etc, you get to some interesting numbers. It is a bit like the long term effect of compound interest, and 1881 was a long time back. 136 years back actually. The big melts occurred between 1918-1920, but there were government melts of Morgan dollars every year up to 1964. This gives you a chart that looks like this.

So out of the original coins (5.7 million) I would estimate that 605,000 remain. For a mint state collector you have to rule out circulated coins and those excessively damaged in other ways. I would agree that today most of those turned in wind up in bags of bulk silver, especially circulated coins. But if those never see the light of day again, then for collectors that is the same as if they were melted.

But as with all coin collecting that involves silver or gold coins, the survival factor has an impact on rarity and price. This is one of the great unknowns of the hobby, but also the Achilles heel of the hobby because investing in rare, high-grade coins can be a trap. The next Redfield Hoard can be lurking around the corner and the rarity factor can go out the window with your investment.

 

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Years ago when we were visiting the Grand Canyon, I kicked something in the gravel parking lot that made that familiar "ting" and picked up what looked to be a bit of slag aluminum. Upon returning home, I took it to work and put it in an XRF machine and it turned out to be silver. "Ting"

 

This is quite true. The 1967 halves are 800 fine, but oddly enough, the quarters and dimes were struck in both 500 and 800. Dimes and quarters in 1968 were struck in both 500 fine silver and nickel/steel. There are no silver 1968 Canada half dollars.

 

I've been a bartender for 30+ years. I worked at the Jersey Shore and found around 15-20 silver quarters over a 15 year period. I cashed them in with some scrap gold. I wish I had kept them. I'm living and bartending in Florida for 5 years now and have not found 1. The new state quarters have a bit of a silver ring to them. I wonder if that has anything to do with my lack of silver, or could it be geographical.....Jersey vs. Florida?

 

Silver has such a distinctive ring. I haven't found one in circulation for years, but if I do ever get another in change, I think I'll know just by the sound it makes.

 

Some state quarters are silver, some are clad.

 

If you are looking for silver in Canada coins you want 1967. In 1968 some dropped from .800 fine to .500 fine. None had any silver in 1969.

 

Rare to find in circulation

 

I get lots of them

 

I receive them enough to know you still can get lucky. Most recent was 2 weeks ago at work when I found one in the til. My best was receiving 8 standing liberty quarters in a chick-fil-a's cashiers drawer. I asked for them and she gladly gave them to me. She just knew they were old. But that was 4 years ago... well almost.

 

I only ever find 65 and up, so that tells me the 64 and on back coins have been plucked clean out of circulation. Probably because a lot of people have been looking for pre-65 coins for the last fifty years and very few quarters remain.

 

Never know, within the last year I found 1 1941 quarter, 8 silver dimes, and a 1878 Indian. Dimes are always easiest to find for me.

 

Truthfully, yes, most of the silver has been culled from circulation.

What most fail to realize is that every day, thousands of silver coins enter circulation as well.

Even though the numbers are stacked against you, if you don’t look for it, you won’t find it, that’s a guarantee.

 

When i search quarters, i only find one for every few thousand dollars in quarters if im lucky. Not a lot of them out there.

 

i found this quarter 1993p quarter dollar i need help please

 

1967 is 50% and 80%. 1921-66 and is 80%. Before '21 it's Sterling. Unless you are collecting Nickel.

 

I wonder how many silver coins have been found in circulation from the time this thread was created.. July 12, 2009

 

The early Canadian nickels are also silver. 1858-1919 Canada's five cent coins were made of 92.5% silver. 1920-1921 80%. The composition of the five cent coin was changed to 100% nickel in 1922.
The 1921 is super rare as most were melted and 460 are known.

 

I got lucky. I found one (1941) from a cashier from a grocery store and another one (1964) from a donut shop. Lucky on that one...I paid $3.00 to the Donut lady because I wanted to reward her for collecting quarters for me.

 

Ive found a silver quarter at work and only found another one from a coke machine change and it wasn't even 90% it was a bicentennial 40% but as time gos on less and less silver coins are in circulation. In reality the only older coins that are still their are either cents and nickels the most silver ive ever found is in nickels the silvers since there realy inst a way to just pop the roll and look at edges is easier to miss.