2.3 Billion Silver Dimes were stuck in 1964...how many do you think are left?

ambro51 · August 23, 2011 1:04PM

10%? thats 230 million..............no..probably not.

1%.........dosent seem like many until you realize its 23 million.

do you think 23 million are left?

.1%...........thats 2.3 million. do you think 2.3 million are left?

.01%......thats 230 thousand, do you think there are a quarter of a million 1964 dimes still around?

(food for thought, eh? )

MsMorrisine · August 23, 2011 1:05PM

I'm looking all the time.

astrorat · August 23, 2011 1:20PM

42

jessecarlk · August 23, 2011 2:43PM

i'm sure bill has at least 1% of the original mintage in storage somewhere.

RedTiger · August 23, 2011 3:09PM

My guess is 1.5 billion. 1964 was still during the roll collecting era, so many rolls and mega hoards of rolls of 1964 era coins are likely still out there in bunkers, in garages, in basements. Overall, I don't think a high percentage of silver coins have been melted, certainly not 90% of all silver coins ever made, even 50% of all silver coins seems high to me, but no one really knows, folks can only guess. Before melting time, not many 1964 coins were lost or destroyed before folks began pulling silver out of circulation.

NotSure · August 23, 2011 3:43PM

<< 42 >>

LOL!

TwoSides2aCoin · August 23, 2011 3:48PM

I have an uncirculated roll, so there have to be at least 92.

Overdate · August 23, 2011 5:31PM

Melting has been going on since the 1960's, with large reported melts in the late 1960's and during the 1979-80 spike in the price of silver. I would guess that easily 80% of 20th century silver coins have been melted, with an even higher percentage for war nickels.

291fifth · August 23, 2011 10:06PM

To be correct, it should be stated that the coins were dated 1964 and not struck in 1964. Production of 1964 dated coins continued well into 1965. The 1965 dated clad coinage did not begin until late in the year and continued into part of 1966.

I recall receiving my first clad coin, a quarter, in February, 1966.

Groiny · August 23, 2011 10:11PM

at least 1/2 a billion are still with us

DorkGirl · August 23, 2011 10:27PM

Well, we could do a count here on the forum. Kind of like the Doily Slab count..............

PerryHall · August 23, 2011 11:00PM

I'd guess about 75% have been melted.

ambro51 · August 23, 2011 11:20PM

It IS a very interesting question. Given these facts; A totally non collected coin. Issued right at the time when silver was pulled like wildfire from circulation...and which has continued to this day. Rolls? well maybe, but who IS a buyer for silver....the melters, I think you could search numismatics with a loupe and not find anyone collecting 1964 roosevelts in bulk as a hoard.

2.3 billion, now Perry says 25%, as good a number as any to argue...and that 500 million of them. WHERE are they? Thats nearly 2 for every man woman and child in the USA. Suddenly that huge number seems very unrealistic.

So...back to the original question, and my thoughts....there are shockingly few saved. No one is keeping count because no one cares. Silver melts will continue and the current number will shrink even further. It is happening and is totally unrecognized.

Im thinking the number of actual surviving coins at this time may be as few as 10 million. WHICH, is still a whole lot and more than enough to satisfy anyone who wants any number of them.

RedTiger · August 23, 2011 11:34PM

<< It IS a very interesting question. Given these facts; A totally non collected coin. Issued right at the time when silver was pulled like wildfire from circulation...and which has continued to this day. Rolls? well maybe, but who IS a buyer for silver....the melters, I think you could search numismatics with a loupe and not find anyone collecting 1964 roosevelts in bulk as a hoard.

2.3 billion, now Perry says 25%, as good a number as any to argue...and that 500 million of them. WHERE are they? Thats nearly 2 for every man woman and child in the USA. Suddenly that huge number seems very unrealistic.

So...back to the original question, and my thoughts....there are shockingly few saved. No one is keeping count because no one cares. Silver melts will continue and the current number will shrink even further. It is happening and is totally unrecognized.

Im thinking the number of actual surviving coins at this time may be as few as 10 million. WHICH, is still a whole lot and more than enough to satisfy anyone who wants any number of them. >>

You are ignoring silver hoarders. Go over to the precious metals forum and some forumites have seven figures in silver value hoarded away. Just a thousand of those kinds of hoarders could have 10 million coins by themselves. Now add dealer inventories. 90% is about the only thing that keeps local shops afloat so large inventories are always needed.

Just like key dates, where a person wonders if there are that many Lincoln collectors, or Mercury dime collectors, no there are not. However, a few hoarders that obsessively squirrel the coins away have most of the supply. Same with 90% silver. I think you would be surprised by the huge 90% roll hoards out there, given what I see as your absurdly low guess (99%+ coins have been melted).

cladking · August 24, 2011 12:24AM

About 60% should be left.

This is actually higher than 1965 dimes.

2manycoins2fewfunds · August 24, 2011 1:13AM

Actually number surviving might be as high as 80%90% less what has been melted.

These actually circulated for only a few years.
People were pulling silver coins from circulation almost as soon as they were stopped.

Wild card is how many were melted in early 80s and most recently.............

jmski52 · August 24, 2011 2:02AM

Mad Marty sold me 13 rolls a few years ago. I have a half bag of 90% dimes that probably contains a bunch of '64s. So I can estimate that I own a couple thousand of them.

Bayard1908 · August 24, 2011 2:06AM

<< Im thinking the number of actual surviving coins at this time may be as few as 10 million. >>

I believe you're off by at least two orders of magnitude, a factor of 100.

2manycoins2fewfunds · August 24, 2011 2:08AM

I have a friend with 50 caliber ammunition cans full of these.

OPA · August 24, 2011 2:13AM

<< 

<< Im thinking the number of actual surviving coins at this time may be as few as 10 million. >>

I believe you're off by at least two orders of magnitude, a factor of 100. >>

I agree...none of my kids are "coin collectors", but they all have rolls of silver dimes, quarters & halves. My guess, well over 1 billion left and occasionally I locate one in the return slot at a Coinstar Machine.

penny4yourthoughts · August 24, 2011 2:21AM

relicsncoins · August 24, 2011 2:28AM

I've found about a dozen of them with my metal detector in yards and parks.

SanctionII · August 24, 2011 2:40AM

I do not know how many of the 1964 dimes are left.

However, the question got me to thinking about how much silver would be in the 2.3 billion 1964 dimes. My calculations [assuming they are accurate] result in 2.3 billion 1964 dimes containing 5199.4375 tons of silver, or 10,398,875 pounds of silver, or 166,382,000 ounces of silver.

At a spot price of silver of $40.00 per ounce, the value of the 1964 dimes would be $6,655,280,000.00.

Pretty staggering numbers, unless you compare them with the budget, deficit and national debt numbers of Uncle Sam (or even California).

leothelyon · August 24, 2011 10:08AM

Did anyone see the documentary on polio and the March of Dimes that was started in 1938? They showed a large pile of Mercury dimes coming in. I wonder if anyone was put to the task of searching those dimes for the 1916-Ds and 21PD's .
What was the value of those coins back then? $35 and maybe $8 each for the 1921PDs? And by the way, what a nightmare it must have been back then with polio.

rec78 · August 24, 2011 3:50PM

Prolly 67,759,314

2.3 Billion Silver Dimes were stuck in 1964...how many do you think are left?

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