Coins
UK silver coin values 2026: what your old silver is really worth
Pre-1947 British silver has intrinsic value regardless of date. Here's how to weigh, identify and price it properly.
The two silver eras that matter
Pre-1920 UK silver coins are sterling — .925 fine. Coins dated 1920 to 1946 inclusive are 50% silver (.500 fine). Anything dated 1947 onwards is cupro-nickel and contains no silver at all.
These two cut-offs are the most important fact about old British silver. The date alone tells you the silver content within seconds.
How to estimate value
Weigh your pre-1947 silver in grams. Multiply total weight by the silver content (0.925 for pre-1920, 0.500 for 1920-1946) to get pure silver weight. Convert grams to troy ounces (÷ 31.1035) and multiply by the live silver spot price.
In May 2026 silver sits around £24/oz. So 100 g of mixed pre-1947 silver (call it 50% pure on average) yields roughly 50 g of pure silver, which is 1.6 oz, worth around £38 in scrap. A bag of pre-1920 sterling at the same weight pays nearly twice as much.
Coin-by-coin weights
Crown (5/-): 28.28 g. Half-crown (2/6): 14.14 g. Florin (2/-): 11.31 g. Shilling: 5.66 g. Sixpence: 2.83 g. Threepence (silver): 1.41 g.
All weights are total coin weight — apply the silver fineness for the date as above.
When silver coins are worth more than scrap
Crowns dated 1847 (Gothic), 1818, 1820, or any pre-Victorian crown. Maundy sets in original cases. Proof issues. Anything in genuinely uncirculated condition. If a coin has full mint lustre and sharp design detail, do not weigh-and-melt it — get a proper valuation first.
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