Do You Know How Much Your Coins Weigh?

If you want to weigh coins to count them yourself, as opposed to using a coin counter, then your best bet is to buy a coin electronic weighing machine — a digital coin scale

The Best Coin Scale to Use

A digital coin weigher is probably the most convenient method for weighing coins, but an analog coin scale can work just as well

Whichever type of coin scale you decide to use, make sure it can provide an accurate, unrounded weight to at least 1/10th of a gram and preferably 1/100th of a gram

Scales that only measure whole grams will round off in fractions to the nearest whole gram and therefore can give incomplete readings — and that’s not good when weighing coins, especially those with metals variants are distinguished by weight differences of less than 1 gram

However, they generally only give readouts to the nearest whole gram — so it’s best to avoid using food scales and stamp scales

If you want to weigh coins accurately and like a pro, buy a coin scale!

In this video, I show you the 5 things you need to know before weighing coins PLUS my favorite coin scale:

5 Tips For Using Scales To Weigh Coins [Coin Collecting]Watch this video on YouTube

How to Count Coins by Weight

So, you want to gather all your coins together and count them by weighing them, right?

Separate all your coins by denomination Now, within each denomination, separate them by metal type (pre-1965 90% silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars vs

post-1982 zinc pennies, etc )Next, place all coins of the same denomination and metal type on a coin scale Finally, divide the number on the weight readout by the standard weight of a coin of that type (see coin weights listed below)

Voila… The quotient of your calculation should be the number of coins in the scale!

NOTE: It is important that you realize the accuracy of the quotient (the final number you arrive at in your calculation after division) depends on the scale giving an accurate reading to at least 1/10th of a gram

The US Mints are allowed to strike coins within a certain range or deviation of the standard weight — this difference is known as a tolerance

The difference in weight based on the tolerance depends on the denomination in question, and we will discuss this in more detail below

Also, coins that contain a lot of wear may weigh less than the average weight for a coin of that type

Therefore, when you weigh coins to count them, you must take these small differences into account

How Much Coins Weigh By Denomination

If you are going to weigh coins to count them, then their weight in grams is really important to know

How much does a dollar coin weigh?

US coins dollar was first struck in 1794 and was made in different sizes and with different metals

Therefore, there is no single standard weight for all silver dollars or other dollar coins produced by the United States Mint

Here are the different circulating weights of US coins dollars:

Silver dollars minted from 1794 to 1835 — 2696 grams Silver dollars minted from 1836 to 1839 — 2673 to 2696 grams Silver dollars minted between 1840 and 1970 — 2673 grams 40% silver dollar minted from in 19761 made of 19761 grams of silver to 19761 to 1978 — 2268 gramsCopper-nickel clad dollars produced from 1979 to 1999 — 81 grams “Golden” dollars produced since 2000 — 81 grams

*Tolerances for silver dollars are 39 grams more or less and 52 grams more or less for copper-nickel clad and 40% silver Eisenhower dollars

How much does a half dollar weigh?

Like silver dollars, half dollars have been minted since 1794 and there have been several changes to this denomination over the years

Here’s how much a 50 cent coin weighs:

Half dollars minted from 1794 to 1836 (larger size 325 millimeters) — 1348 grams Half dollars minted from 1836 to 1839 (smaller size 30 millimeters) — 1336 grams Half dollars minted from 1839 to 1853 Half dollars minted from 1853 to 1873, (1853-55 with date arrows) — 1244 grams Half dollar minted from 1873 to 1964, (1873-74 with date arrows) — 125 grams 40% silver half dollar that minted from 19 to 1970 and 1976-S — 115 grams Copper-nickel clad half dollar minted since 1971 — 1134 grams

*Tolerances for half dollars are 26 grams more or less

How much does a quarter weigh?

The US The Mint has been producing quarters since 1796, and there have been changes in denomination weight since the first examples of this workhorse coin were produced in the late 18th century

Here is a list of US quarter weights:

Quarters minted from 1796 to 1838 — 674 grams Quarters minted from 1838 to 1853 with Liberty Seated design and no date arrows — 668 grams Quarters minted from 1853 to 1873 (1853-55 with arrows on date of issue) — 62 grams 1873 to 1964 (1873-74 with date arrows) — 625 grams Copper nickel quarters made since 1965 — 567 grams 40% silver Bicentennial quarters (1976-S) — 575 grams

*Tolerances for quarters are 19 grams more or less

Dimes have been minted in the United States since 1796, and these coins are made in various weights

Here are the weights for the circulating US dime:

*Tolerances for the dime are 09 grams more or less

How much does a nickel weigh?

“Nickel” is really just a shorthand term for the five-cent coin — which has technically been minted since 1794 and was originally a small silver coin known as a half dime (or half disme)

Nickel, as we know it today, is made from a copper-nickel alloy – it debuted in 1866

With the exception of wartime five-cent coins that were minted from a 35% silver alloy during 1942 to 1945 to save nickel for World War II artillery production, US nickels contains a 75% copper, 25% nickel composition

However, even with the metal changes during World War II, the weight of the coin remained unchanged

Here’s how much the US weighs nickel:

Since 1866 – 5 grams

*Tolerances for nickel are 19 grams more or less

How much does a penny weigh?

The iconic penny, or one-cent coin as this denomination is officially known in the United States, has been an American staple since 1793

The penny has shrunk in size over the years

Once about the size of a modern-day half dollar, the penny was first reduced to its current diameter of 19 millimeters in 1856

The metal composition of the “small” cent also changed from copper-nickel to copper, and then to copper-plated zinc as we see it today

Here’s how much a penny weighs:

Pennies from 1856 to 1864 (copper-nickel pennies) — 467 grams Pennies from 1864 to 1982 with EXCEPTION in 1943 — 311 grams 1943 pennies (made from zinc-plated steel) — 27 grams 195 pennies made from copper since copper-coated 2 grams

*Tolerances for pennies were 13 grams from 1856 to 1971, 12 grams from 1972 to 1982, and 10 grams since 1982

Other Questions About How Much Coins Weigh

How much does a silver coin weigh?

We have listed the silver coin weights above in the dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar coin weight sections above

Hope that information answers your questions about how much silver coins weigh

Let’s look at the weights of some of the most common types of classic US gold coins:

There aren’t any US coins with exactly 1 gram

The Chinese yen coin weighs 1 gram to a tee!

If you’re looking for coins that weigh 2 grams, check out Chile’s reform coinage

The 1975 1 centavo coin made of aluminum weighs exactly 2 grams!

You won’t find many coins, medals, or much else in the numismatic arena that individually weigh 200 grams — that’s 705 ounces, or almost half a pound!

But, there is a handy coin you can find in pocket change that, in multiples, can easily add up to 200 grams

That’s the nickel, which — again — weighs 5 grams

It takes 40 nickels to equal 200 grams

You know what else 40 nickels adds up to?

A $2 roll of nickels

And that’s a great segue into the next question about weighing coins on rolls

How much do the combined coins weigh?

To answer this question, you need to know how many coins are in a typical bank roll:

A roll of pennies is 50 coins A roll of nickels is 40 coins A roll of dimes is 50 coins A roll of quarters is 40 coins A roll of half dollars is 20 coins A roll of large-size dollars is 20 coins A roll of small-size dollars are 25 coins

As you have already learned, each coin denomination has been minted in different metals and weights over the years

So if you want to know how much the rolled coins weigh, you will need:

Find out what era or generation the coin is inside the roll

Use average coin weights — not an exact number, but close enough

Do banks weigh pooled coins?

Some do, but even banks that weigh merged coins may do so only as a secondary method of verifying the number of coins in a roll

For example, a roll of 50 pennies all copper-coated zinc coins minted since late 1982 weighs about 30 grams less than a roll of 50 bronze pennies minted before 1983

Therefore, weighing the rolls can give some rough idea about the number of coins inside — but due to weight differences caused by tolerances, heavy coin wear, different metal compositions , and other factors, weighing rolls of coins can be a tricky business

Q&A How Much Do Coins Vary When First Minted? Watch this video on YouTube

My love for coins started when I was 11 years old

I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here on The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!