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In fact, up till 1964 ALL dimes, quarters, halves and dollars were made of 90% silver. In the past every coin except pennies and nickels was supposed to contain its own value in precious metals, either gold or silver. The prices of those metals were controlled by the government so a fixed amount of silver (till 1964) and gold (till 1933) was needed to ensure that a each coin contained its face value. For example, a dime contained 2.25 gm of silver which was worth 10 cents at that time.

Eventually the demand for gold and silver in industry and elsewhere became so high that the government had to start selling its reserves and let the price be determined by the market. That meant that a silver coin's value could change radically as market prices changed. In fact, at one point its price reached nearly $50/oz so people would melt silver coins and sell them for much more than their face value. The government clearly couldn't keep minting dimes at 10 cents each that people could melt for over $4.00 each, so they started making coins from copper-nickel instead.

Today the price of silver has dropped from those ridiculous highs but is still far more than it was in 1964. US silver coins dated 1964 and earlier are currenly (2010) worth at least 10 times face value, depending on the current price of silver.

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Q: Why are 1964 US dimes silver?
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Related questions

What year are silver dimes?

Silver dimes were last minted in 1964 in the US.


How much pure silver in dimes?

1964 and older US dimes contain 90% silver.


What years did U.S. dimes contain silver?

US dimes were struck in silver from 1796 to 1964.


What year did us dimes stop being made of silver?

The last year for silver U.S. dimes was 1964.


When did the US start putting silver in dimes?

US dimes were made of silver starting with the very first dimes back in 1796, and continued as such through 1964.


Is 1965 us dime silver?

No. The last year for silver dimes in the U.S. was 1964.


Are all dimes silver?

All US dimes dated 1964 and earlier were struck in an alloy of 90% silver and 10% copper


How much is a 1973 silver dime worth?

Sorry, no US dimes dated 1973 were struck in silver the last year for silver dimes was 1964.


When did they stop silver dimes?

1964 was the last year for US silver dimes. The reason was because the value of the silver in a dime began to exceed ten cents.


When did dimes change from silver?

1964 was the last year for silver dimes.


What is the valueof 1964 and before silver dimes?

US dimes minted before 1965 are currently worth at least $2 for their silver content.


Are all 1963 dimes silver?

All US dimes dated 1964 and earlier were struck in an alloy of 90% silver and 10% copper