how many troy ounces are in a silver dollar

[VonNolan]

Hey there! That's a fantastic question, and the answer can be a little different depending on which type of silver dollar you have in mind.

For the classic U.S. silver dollars that were used as everyday money, like the popular Morgan Dollar (minted from 1878-1921) and the Peace Dollar (minted from 1921-1935), the silver content is a specific amount set by the government. These coins were made from a mixture of 90% silver and 10% copper to make them more durable for circulation. Because of this, each of these classic silver dollars contains 0.7734 troy ounces of pure silver.

However, if you're thinking of the modern American Silver Eagle coin, which has a face value of "ONE DOLLAR" printed on it, that's a different story. These coins, first minted in 1986, are primarily bullion coins made for investors and collectors. An American Silver Eagle contains exactly one full troy ounce of .999 fine silver.

So, to put it simply, a classic Morgan or Peace silver dollar contains just over three-quarters of a troy ounce of silver, while a modern American Silver Eagle contains exactly one troy ounce.