Here’s a quick tip from my husband today: before spending any change you are given, be sure to examine dimes and quarters very closely.
These coins, as well as half-dollars made before 1965 were made of 90% silver:

With the price of silver continuing to climb, hovering around $30/oz lately, these coins are worth significantly more than face value. So keep them!
Here’s another interesting article about collecting these coins. Have you been saving your pre-1965 silver coins?

A city girl learning to homestead on an acre of land in the country. Wife and homeschooling mother of four. Enjoying life, and everything that has to do with self sufficient living.
My husband has a few. Old coins and they are all silver they go from 1916 to 1956 quarters dimes nickles and we are trying to find out what they are worth
Take them to a coin or jewelry shop, they should be able to tell you their value. Or, if you know how many ounces of silver you have, go to Kitco.com and see what silver is going for per oz.
Try http://cointrackers.com/ they are really good.
A while back I watched the news and they had a piece on pennies. I believe they had interviewed a man who had saved old pennies (guessing here… 1982 and older) he turned them in for more money. But for the life of me I cannot locate online where or who you would turn them into? Anyone know about this?
I have a 1940 nickle. Is it worth saving?
JoAnn,
Personally, I wouldn’t save it. It wasn’t made with silver like the other coins. However, some people are saying nickel will be worth something some day… so it’s really a matter of whether you think it’s worth saving or not.
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to save half dollars from 65-68…not as much silver as pre-65, but still at least had silver in them:)
So if you have these coins, where do you sell them, pawn shops? Jewelers?
Arianna,
You can sell them at coin and jewelry shops, pawn shops (though they won’t give you much), or through private sales to individuals. But I’d recommend you keep them if you come across them. They’ll only go up in value.
Are we suppose to save nickels, dimes and quarters or just nickels? Thanks by the way. This is a great tip 🙂
Kara,
Regarding silver content, you’re supposed to save dimes, quarters, and half-dollars (if you can find them) that are dated 1964 or older. Check out the articles I linked to for more information on nickles and their value.
I always get confused. Do we save 1964 or older or “65”? Thanks for link.
Shelly,
Save 1964 and older. Anything before 1965 🙂