Junk Silver vs Silver Bars: What’s Better for Regular People?

You have decided to buy silver. Congratulations. Now you face the classic fork in the road.

Do you buy:

• The Shiny Stuff: Clean, .999 fine silver bars stamped with a mint mark.
• The "Junk": Dirty, circulated 90% silver U.S. coins from before 1965.

If you are a regular person (not a hedge fund), which is better?

The answer depends on why you are buying. Let's compare them directly.

1. Purity

• Bars: Usually .999 Fine (99.9% pure).
• Junk Silver: .900 Fine (90% silver, 10% copper).

Winner: Bars. If you strictly want "pure" metal for industrial use or perfect math, bars win. However, for most stackers, 90% is perfectly acceptable and widely recognized.

2. Liquidity (Ease of Selling)

• Bars: High. Any shop will buy them. However, 100oz bars can be hard to sell because few shops adhere to large cash payouts easily.
• Junk Silver: Extreme. Because it is legal tender (technically), and because it is fractional, it is notoriously easy to trade or sell in small amounts.

Winner: Junk Silver. If you need to sell just $50 worth of silver to pay a bill, you can sell a tube of quarters. You can't saw a chunk off a 10oz bar.

3. Premiums (Cost over Spot)

• Bars: generally have lower premiums per ounce, especially as the bar gets larger (1oz vs 10oz vs 100oz).
• Junk Silver: Historically had low premiums, but in recent years, premiums have risen because they aren't making any more of it.

Winner: Bars (usually). If your goal is simply "Most Silver Ounces for Cheapest Price," a 100oz bar is often the math winner.

4. Trust & Counterfeiting

• Bars: Can be counterfeited. A generic bar from a private mint requires testing to trust.
• Junk Silver: Very hard to fake. To fake a 1964 quarter, a counterfeiter would have to mint it, dirty it, wear it down to the exact weight of a circulated coin, and sell it for... $5? It's not worth the crime. When you see a worn Washington Quarter, you trust it instantly.

Winner: Junk Silver.

5. The "Mad Max" Scenario

We don't sell fear, but many buyers think about "Barterability." If the digital banking system goes down, what would you rather have?

• A shiny 10oz bar (worth ~$300)? Good luck getting change for a loaf of bread.
• A handful of silver dimes (worth ~$2 each)? Perfect for small daily trade.

Winner: Junk Silver.

The Verdict

Buy Bars If:

• You are parking large amounts of wealth ($10k+).
• You want the absolute lowest price per ounce.
• You care about shiny, perfect aesthetics.

Buy Junk Silver If:

• You are a beginner or a "prepper."
• You want high liquidity and divisibility.
• You want something that is nearly impossible to counterfeit.
• You appreciate the history of U.S. coinage.

Our Advice: A healthy stack has both. Use bars for weight. Use junk silver for utility.

See the Difference: Browse our Bullion vs. 90% Silver categories.