how much do old silver dollars weigh

[DelWalter]

Ah, the weighty question of old silver dollars! If you're picturing a dusty cowboy plunking a coin on a bar, you're likely thinking of a Morgan or a Peace Dollar, the most common "old" silver dollars. These classic American cartwheels were made to a very specific standard.

Thanks to the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, which clearly had some strong opinions on the matter, both Morgan and Peace silver dollars were minted to weigh precisely 26.73 grams. They didn't just pull that number out of a ten-gallon hat; it was a carefully set standard to ensure consistency across the board.

But wait, there's a plot twist! That 26.73-gram figure isn't pure, unadulterated silver. To make sure these coins could survive a trip in a dusty saloon pocket without getting bent out of shape, the U.S. Mint used a 90% silver and 10% copper alloy. This means that while the coin's total weight is 26.73 grams, the actual amount of silver in it is a slightly less-hefty 0.7734 troy ounces. So, the coin has its fighting weight, and then it has its precious metal weight.