550 Million Ounces of Silver Were Used in 1964 At The United States Mint

Amount of Silver Used at the U.S. Mint in 1964

In 1964 the U.S. Mint used the equivalent of 67% of today’s total silver mining production to mint dimes, quarters and half dollars for every day use



Silver Used By The U.S. Mint In 1964

The U.S. Mint used 549,549,066 ounces of silver to make dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 for every day use.*

The total face value of the silver dimes, quarters and half dollars minted in 1964 was $759,573,976. ($228,687,718 in dimes, $316,131,528 in quarters and $214,754,730 in half dollars). That’s more than three quarters of a billion dollars of change minted in 1964. Prior to 1965 U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars were 90% silver.

The silver value of the 549,549,066 ounces in those coins (at $19.35 an oz.) is worth $10,633,774,427 today, or more than $10.5 billion.

chart showing the number of ounces of silver required to produce millions of silver dimes quarters and half dollars in 1964

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Total Global Demand for Silver in 2013

Earlier this week, we reported on the soaring world wide record demand for silver, especially to meet investment demand for silver coins and bars.

Total silver demand in 2013 reached 1,081,000,000 ounces up from 954,000,000 ounces in 2012.

Demand for silver coins and bars rose 76% in 2013 from 139,300,000 ounces sold in 2012 to 245,600,000 ounces sold in 2013.

As noted above, in 1964, the U.S. Mint required 549,549,066 ounces of silver to meet its requirements to produce silver dimes, quarters and half dollars or the equivalent of 67% of the 2013 world-wide mining production (819,600,000 ounces) and 56% of the total 2013 silver supply (978,100,000 ounces).

Silver Used By The U.S. Mint In 2013

In 2013, the U.S. Mint used 43.475 million ounces of silver** to mint and sell silver coins for investment purposes (vs. the 549.5 million ounces of silver the U.S. Mint used to produce dimes, quarters and half dollars to place in circulation for everyday use). The 42,675,000 2013 one ounce U.S. Silver Eagles sold were a “record” amount.

The silver value of the 43,475,000 ounces in the coins (at $19.35 an oz.) produced by the U.S. Mint in 2013 for investment purposes is worth $841,241,250, or less than $1 billion, vs. the more than $10.5 billion value of the silver dimes, quarters and half dollars produced at the U.S. Mint in 1964.

In 2013 the U.S. mint produced a face value of $578,600,000 non silver dimes, quarters and half dollars ($210,000,000 in dimes, $363,800,000 in quarters and $4,800,000 in half dollars) vs. $759,573,976 face value of silver coins minted in 1964.

For comparison purposes, here are charts showing the number of silver dimes, quarters and half dollars minted in 1963, 1913 and 1914 and the amounts of silver used in the production of those coins:

chart showing the number of ounces of silver required to produce millions of silver dimes quarters  and half dollars in 1963

chart showing number of ounces of silver used in 1964 to produce dimes quarters and half dollars at the US mint in 1913

chart showing number of ounces of silver used in 1964 to produce dimes quarters and half dollars at the US mint in 1913

*After 1964 the U.S. removed all silver from its dimes and quarters and reduced the silver content of its half dollars from 90% to 40%. (although silver coins dated 1964 were minted well into 1965) After 1970 all the silver was removed from U.S. half dollar coins. Currently dimes, quarters and half dollars are 75% copper and 25% nickel.

Us mint silver used vs global silver mining production

Lyndon Johnson – There Will Be No Profit Hoarding Silver Coins

President Johnson was aware that people might hoard the silver coins and issued a statement in July 1965:

“Our present silver coins won’t disappear and they won’t even become rarities. We estimate that there are now 12 billion–I repeat, more than 12 billion silver dimes and quarters and half dollars that are now outstanding. We will make another billion before we halt production. And they will be used side-by-side with our new coins.

Since the life of a silver coin is about 25 years, we expect our traditional silver coins to be with us in large numbers for a long, long time.

If anybody has any idea of hoarding our silver coins, let me say this. Treasury has a lot of silver on hand, and it can be, and it will be used to keep the price of silver in line with its value in our present silver coin. There will be no profit in holding them out of circulation for the value of their silver content.”

Buy 90% Silver U.S. Coins at Golden Eagle Coins
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Source: Silver mining production in 2016 – Silver Institute; U.S. Mint American Eagle Sales USMint.gov; U.S. dimes, quarter and half dollars – The Red Book

** most of the silver used in 2013 at the U.S. Mint went towards the production of a record number (42,675,000) one ounce Silver Eagle coins; the remaining ounces were used to produce 160,000 five ounce silver America the Beautiful coins.

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Sources: A Guide To U.S. Coins, R.S. Yeoman (2013) & the United States Mint

Further Reading:

Silver Buying Guide

Gold and Silver Price Manipulation – Suspected

Silver and Gold Price Manipulation – Actual

Price of Silver in 1979

US Mint Sales (monthly archive)

Silver Hits Record Demand in 2013

Perth Mint Sales Slide

Australia’s Perth Mint Gold and Silver Sales By Month July 2012- February 2014

The Canadian Mint Sells Record Amounts of one ounce Silver Maple Leaf Coins in 2013 (see page 30 of the report)

The Lowest Cost. Period.

Austrian Mint Runs Overtime to Meet Demand

2014 Silver and Gold Predictions

Sales of America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Sets Off to Slow Start in 2014

Perth Mint Gold and Silver Sales Rise in January


Mexico to Tax Silver and Gold Miners

The Gold Silver Ratio vs. The Silver to Gold Sales Ratio

The West Sells Paper Gold While the East Buys Physical Gold

The Price of Silver & Real Estate

Buying Physical Gold and Silver

Twelve Ways Silver is Different Than Gold

Is a Gold and Silver Supply and Demand Price Adjustment Coming?

High Sales of Silver at the U.S., Canadian and Australian Mints in 2013

Royal Canadian Mint

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