How this page was made. The figures below come from the sources listed at the bottom of the page and were last checked on October 6, 2026. Gold Coins Today is written with AI assistance (Claude) and edited against those sources; read the editorial policy for what that means and how to report a mistake. This page never states a price: you type in a price you got from a live quote.
How much gold or silver is actually inside a coin? This chart lists the fine metal content of the coins collectors and bullion buyers ask about most, taken from statutes and from the issuing mints. Multiply the fine-metal figure by a live spot price and you have the coin’s melt value. A dash means the issuer’s page does not print that number, so we did not guess it.
Want the arithmetic done for you? Use the coin melt value calculator. Wearing a ring instead of a coin? Try the karat and weight calculator.
Modern gold bullion
| Coin | Face | Total weight (g) | Fineness | Fine gold (troy oz) | Diameter (mm) | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Gold Eagle — 1 oz | $50 | 33.931 | 0.9167 | 1.00000 | 32.7 | [1], [2] |
| American Gold Eagle — 1/2 oz | $25 | 16.966 | 0.9167 | 0.50000 | 27 | [1], [2] |
| American Gold Eagle — 1/4 oz | $10 | 8.483 | 0.9167 | 0.25000 | 22 | [1], [2] |
| American Gold Eagle — 1/10 oz | $5 | 3.393 | 0.9167 | 0.10000 | 16.5 | [1], [2] |
| American Gold Buffalo — 1 oz Statute: weighs 1 ounce, 99.99% pure gold. Treated here as 1 troy oz of fine gold. | $50 | — | 0.9999 | 1.00000 | — | [1] |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf — 1 oz | C$50 | 31.11 | 0.9999 | 1.00000 | 30 | [7] |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf — 1/2 oz | C$20 | 15.55 | 0.9999 | 0.50000 | 25 | [7] |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf — 1/4 oz | C$10 | 7.77 | 0.9999 | 0.25000 | 20 | [7] |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf — 1/10 oz | C$5 | 3.11 | 0.9999 | 0.10000 | 16 | [7] |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf — 1/20 oz | C$1 | 1.55 | 0.9999 | 0.05000 | 14.1 | [7] |
| British Gold Britannia — 1 oz | £100 | — | 0.9999 | 1.00000 | 32.69 | [8] |
| South African Krugerrand — 1 oz gold Contains 1 troy oz of gold in a 22-karat (.9167) alloy, so the coin is heavier than 1 oz. | none | — | 0.9167 | 1.00000 | 32.77 | [9] |
| Austrian Gold Vienna Philharmonic — 1 oz | €100 | 31.1 | 0.9999 | 1.00000 | 37 | [10] |
| Austrian Gold Vienna Philharmonic — 1/2 oz | €50 | 15.55 | 0.9999 | 0.50000 | 28 | [10] |
| Austrian Gold Vienna Philharmonic — 1/4 oz | €25 | 7.78 | 0.9999 | 0.25000 | 22 | [10] |
| Austrian Gold Vienna Philharmonic — 1/10 oz | €10 | 3.11 | 0.9999 | 0.10000 | 16 | [10] |
| Austrian Gold Vienna Philharmonic — 1/25 oz | €4 | 1.24 | 0.9999 | 0.04000 | 13 | [10] |
Classic U.S. gold (standard of 1837)
| Coin | Face | Total weight (g) | Fineness | Fine gold (troy oz) | Diameter (mm) | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 double eagle (Liberty Head & Saint-Gaudens) Standard weight and fineness from the 1837 Act (the $20 is twice the eagle under the 1849 Act's 'same standard'). Individual coins vary with wear; very early coins (before 1837) follow different standards. | $20 | 33.436 | 0.9 | 0.96750 | — | [3] |
| $10 eagle (Liberty Head & Indian Head) Standard weight and fineness from the 1837 Act (the $20 is twice the eagle under the 1849 Act's 'same standard'). Individual coins vary with wear; very early coins (before 1837) follow different standards. | $10 | 16.718 | 0.9 | 0.48375 | — | [3] |
| $5 half eagle (Liberty Head & Indian Head) Standard weight and fineness from the 1837 Act (the $20 is twice the eagle under the 1849 Act's 'same standard'). Individual coins vary with wear; very early coins (before 1837) follow different standards. | $5 | 8.359 | 0.9 | 0.24188 | — | [3] |
| $2.50 quarter eagle (Liberty Head & Indian Head) Standard weight and fineness from the 1837 Act (the $20 is twice the eagle under the 1849 Act's 'same standard'). Individual coins vary with wear; very early coins (before 1837) follow different standards. | $2.50 | 4.18 | 0.9 | 0.12094 | — | [3] |
Classic U.S. silver (.900 fine)
| Coin | Face | Total weight (g) | Fineness | Fine silver (troy oz) | Diameter (mm) | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan or Peace silver dollar 412½ grains, .900 silver, .100 copper. | $1 | 26.73 | 0.9 | 0.77344 | 38.1 | [3], [6] |
| 90% silver half dollar (Barber, Walking Liberty, Franklin, 1964 Kennedy) 12½ g from the 1873 Act; .900 fine under the 1837 standard. 1964 is the last 90% year for the Kennedy. | 50¢ | 12.5 | 0.9 | 0.36170 | — | [4] |
| 90% silver quarter (Barber, Standing Liberty, Washington to 1964) | 25¢ | 6.25 | 0.9 | 0.18085 | — | [4] |
| 90% silver dime (Barber, Mercury, Roosevelt to 1964) | 10¢ | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.07234 | — | [4] |
| Kennedy half dollar 1965–1970 (40% silver) Whole coin 11.5 g containing 4.6 g of silver (about 40%). | 50¢ | 11.5 | ≈ .40 (clad) | 0.14789 | 30.61 | [5] |
Modern silver bullion
| Coin | Face | Total weight (g) | Fineness | Fine silver (troy oz) | Diameter (mm) | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Silver Eagle — 1 oz Inscribed “1 Oz. Fine Silver”; statute: 40.6 mm, 31.103 g, .999 fine (arithmetically 31.07 g of silver, a hair under 1 troy oz). Treated here as 1 troy oz. | $1 | 31.103 | 0.999 | 1.00000 | 40.6 | [1] |
What the chart does and does not tell you
- Fine content is not market value. Collector coins, scarce dates and graded coins can trade far above metal value, and bullion coins carry a premium over it. This page covers metal only.
- Worn coins hold slightly less metal. The figures are standard issue weights; a heavily circulated coin has lost a little.
- Pre-1837 U.S. gold follows different standards. The $10, $5 and $2.50 figures above apply to the .900 fine standard set in 1837 and used through 1933.
- A scarce date is worth more than its metal. A dealer who offers only melt price for a scarce date is not paying you for the coin. Compare offers, and see our guides on identifying and grading coins.
Coin-by-coin answers
- How Much Gold Is in a $20 Double Eagle?
- How Much Gold Is in a Gold Britannia?
- How Much Gold Is in a Gold Maple Leaf?
- How Much Gold Is in a Krugerrand?
- How Much Gold Is in a Vienna Philharmonic?
- How Much Gold Is in an American Gold Eagle?
Sources
- U.S. Code, Title 31, §5112(a)(7)-(11) and (e) — statutory specifications for the American Eagle gold coins, the one-ounce $50 99.99% gold coin and the one-ounce silver coin — https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/5112
- United States Mint, American Eagle Gold Proof Coin page: composition 91.67% gold, 3% silver, balance copper; weights and diameters by size — https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/collectible-coins/american-eagle/gold-proof
- Coinage Act of January 18, 1837 (5 Stat. 136), §§8-10: .900 fine standard; silver dollar 412½ grains; eagle 258, half-eagle 129, quarter-eagle 64½ grains (as printed in the Mint-law appendix at Econlib) — https://www.econlib.org/book-chapters/chapter-appendix-iv-coinage-laws/
- Coinage Act of 1873 (17 Stat. 424): half dollar 12½ grams; quarter dollar and dime one-half and one-fifth of that weight — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-17/pdf/STATUTE-17-Pg424.pdf
- Coinage Act of 1965, Public Law 89-81 (79 Stat. 254), §101: clad half dollar of 11.5 g containing 4.6 g of silver — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-79/pdf/STATUTE-79-Pg254.pdf
- United States Mint, “One Hundred Years of Silver Dollar Coinage (1878-1978)”: Morgan dollar 26.73 g, .900 silver, .100 copper — https://www.usmint.gov/news/inside-the-mint/one-hundred-years-of-silver-dollar-coinage-1878-1978
- Royal Canadian Mint, 2023 Gold Maple Leaf 1 oz bullion coin: 99.99% pure gold, 31.11 g, 30 mm — https://www.mint.ca/en/shop/coins/2023/2023-50-1-oz-9999-pure-gold-coin-gml-bullion
- Royal Mint (UK), Britannia 2025 1 oz Gold Bullion Coin: 999.9 fine, 32.69 mm, 1 troy oz of gold — https://www.royalmint.com/invest/bullion/bullion-coins/gold-coins/britannia-2025-1oz-gold-bullion-coin/
- Royal Mint (UK), South African Krugerrand 2024 1 oz Gold Bullion Coin: 916.7 fineness, 32.77 mm, 1 troy oz of gold — https://www.royalmint.com/invest/bullion-ranges/world-coins/krugerrand–2024-1oz-gold-bullion-coin/
- Münze Österreich (Austrian Mint), Vienna Philharmonic in gold: weights, fineness 999.9 and diameters by size — https://muenzeoesterreich.at/eng/vienna-philharmonic/good-to-know/the-vienna-philharmonic-a-success-story
- 16 CFR §23.3 (FTC Jewelry Guides): fine gold is 24 karat; lower karat figures describe alloys — https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/23.3