How do I calculate the melt value of a coin or piece of jewelry?

Melt value = current spot price per troy ounce x purity x weight in troy ounces. If you only have grams, divide by 31.1035 first. For coins with a known fine-metal content, just multiply the spot price by the published fine-ounce figure (for example a pre-1965 US quarter holds 0.18084 oz of silver).

How much silver is in $1 of face value of junk silver?

US 90% silver (pre-1965 dimes, quarters and half dollars) contains about 0.715 troy ounces of fine silver per $1 of face value for circulated coins. US 40% Kennedy halves (1965-1970) contain about 0.295 oz per $1. Canadian 80% (pre-1968) is 0.600 oz and Canadian 50% (1967-1968) is 0.375 oz per $1.

What is one gram of 14k gold worth?

One troy ounce is 31.1035 grams. A gram of 14k gold is 0.5833 fine, so it holds 0.5833 / 31.1035 = 0.018752 troy ounces of pure gold. Multiply that by the live gold spot price to get the melt value of a gram of 14k.

Do dealers pay full melt value?

Usually not. Most dealers pay roughly 85-95% of melt on common silver and scrap, keeping a buy-back spread. Rare or uncirculated coins can sell above melt to collectors, but that premium is separate from metal value. Always check more than one buyer.

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Free Melt-Value Cheat Sheet

Everything you need to price a coin, a handful of junk silver, or scrap gold in one printable page: the formula, the pure-metal content of every common item, and the live spot prices you need to finish the math. Print it, or save the PDF.

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Silver /oz Gold /oz Platinum /oz Palladium /oz

Live spot via gold-api.com; if a price shows “—”, reload. Melt value never uses a fake or cached price.

The formula

melt value = spot price (per troy oz) × purity × weight (troy oz)

Weigh in grams? troy oz = grams ÷ 31.1035.
Known coin content? skip purity × weight — just multiply spot by the coin's fine-ounce figure in the table below.
Example: a pre-1965 US quarter holds 0.18084 oz of fine silver. At a $50/oz spot, its melt value is 0.18084 × 50 = $9.04.
Scrap gold: a gram of 14k = 0.5833 ÷ 31.1035 = 0.018752 fine oz.

Pure-metal content & live melt value

Figures are published mint specifications at full weight (worn coins hold a hair less). Multiply any content figure by today's spot — the right column does it live.

Item	Metal	Fine oz / unit
US dime, pre-1965	Silver	0.07234
US quarter, pre-1965 (incl. 1964)	Silver	0.18084
US half dollar, pre-1965	Silver	0.36169
Kennedy half, 1965–1970 (40%)	Silver	0.14792
Silver dollar (Morgan / Peace)	Silver	0.77344
War nickel, 1942–1945 (35%)	Silver	0.05626
Silver Eagle / Maple / round (1 oz)	Silver	1.000
Sterling silver (.925), per troy oz	Silver	0.925
Sterling silver (.925), per gram	Silver	0.029744
Gold Eagle (1 oz fine)	Gold	1.000
Platinum Maple (1 oz)	Platinum	1.000
Palladium Maple (1 oz)	Palladium	1.000

Junk silver — fine oz per $1 of face value

Type	Fine silver / $1 face	Live value / $1 face
US 90% (pre-1965 dimes, quarters, halves)	0.715 oz
US 40% Kennedy halves (1965–1970)	0.295 oz
Canadian 80% (pre-1968)	0.600 oz
Canadian 50% (1967–1968)	0.375 oz

Gold price per gram, by karat

Karat	Fineness	Fine oz / gram
24k	0.999	0.032117
22k	0.9167	0.029472
18k	0.750	0.024113
14k	0.5833	0.018752
10k	0.4167	0.013397

Write today's spot on the printout and do the math anywhere: per troy oz.

What a dealer actually pays

Melt value is the ceiling, not the offer. Most dealers pay about 85–95% of melt for common silver and scrap, keeping the difference. Uncirculated, key-date and error coins can sell above melt to collectors — but that premium is separate from metal value and needs the right buyer. Check at least two buyers before you sell.

Open the full calculator (free) → Track your whole stack — $5 spreadsheet →

Companion to the free calculator at saltcrate.com. For reference only — not financial, investment, or tax advice.