Pre-1965 Roosevelt dimes contain 0.0723 troy ounces of 90% silver, yielding 0.0651 troy ounces of pure silver. The coin weighs 2.5 grams with 2.25 grams of silver. Only dimes dated 1964 and earlier contain silver — starting in 1965, the US Mint switched to copper-nickel clad composition.
Roosevelt dimes are the most affordable entry point into junk silver. They trade at the lowest premiums of any 90% silver coin because they lack the collector appeal of Mercury dimes or Barber dimes. This makes them ideal for pure silver stackers who want the most metal per dollar.
A roll of 50 silver Roosevelt dimes ($5 face value) contains approximately 3.617 oz of silver. For barter and small-transaction purposes, dimes are the most practical denomination since each one represents a small, easily tradeable amount of silver. The 1949-S and 1950-S are the scarcest dates but even these rarely command significant premiums in circulated condition.
Almost all dates trade at melt or within 1-2% of melt. These have the lowest premiums in the junk silver market, making them ideal for pure silver stackers.