When Did U.S. Quarters Stop Being Silver?
Why 1964 and 1965 Matter
If you are searching Google for what year quarters stopped being silver, the line is very clear for regular circulation coins: 1964 is the final standard silver quarter year, and 1965 is the first standard clad quarter year.
That change matters because many people find a 1965 quarter, notice it has no mint mark, and wonder if it is silver. A normal 1965 Washington quarter is not silver. It is a clad coin with a copper core and outer nickel layers.
Silver Quarter Checklist
| What to Check | Silver Quarter | Clad Quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 1964 or earlier for regular circulating quarters | 1965 and later for normal circulation strikes |
| Weight | About 6.25 grams | About 5.67 grams |
| Edge | Usually solid silver-gray | Often shows a copper-colored stripe |
| Sound | Higher silver ring | Flatter clad sound |
Is a 1965 Quarter Ever Silver?
Most 1965 quarters are not silver, but a genuine 1965 silver quarter would be a rare transitional wrong-planchet error. That means the coin would need to have been struck on a leftover 90% silver planchet instead of the new clad planchet.
Because that kind of coin is valuable and heavily faked, do not rely on photos alone. Weigh it on a precise gram scale, inspect the edge, and have any serious candidate authenticated by PCGS or NGC before assuming it is a major error.
What About Bicentennial and Proof Quarters?
Some collector-only quarters after 1964 were made with silver, including certain San Francisco proof and special mint issues. The popular 1776-1976 Bicentennial quarter also has special 40% silver collector versions.
The key distinction is this: those are collector issues, not normal clad quarters pulled from everyday change. If your quarter is a regular 1965 or later circulation strike, it is almost always clad unless it has been certified as a silver-planchet error.
CoinHub tip: When sorting quarters, start by pulling every 1964-or-earlier coin, then set aside any unusual 1965-1967 quarters for weight and edge checks. That is the fastest way to separate normal silver finds from possible error candidates.
Related CoinHub Guides
- Use the CoinHub silver melt calculator to estimate silver coin value.
- Check the CoinHub quarter error list for valuable quarter varieties.
- Read the 1965 quarter value and silver error guide for the next step.
- Compare Bicentennial quarter silver varieties before selling one.