Multi-billion annual mintages; zero precious-metal content.
The Coinage Act of 1965 stripped silver from the dime and quarter as the Treasury's silver stock collapsed — the moment US coinage became pure fiat token. The design is unchanged since 1946, making it the longest-running unmodified US design still in production.
Clad dimes are worth about 3 cents in metal — the melt table's reminder of what 1965 actually did.
Check these before treating any coin as melt. Think you have one? Check recent auction records before selling, and read the grading basics first.
Never clean a coin. Ever. Cleaning permanently destroys collector value — dark original toning is worth more than shiny damage.
Gear that settles it: an electromagnetic verifier, a calibrated scale and calipers — counterfeit basics.
Errors: the 1975 No-S proof is a half-million-dollar coin, the 1982 no-mint-mark is worth $50-300, and 1965 silver transitional errors surface occasionally. The edge tells you instantly.
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