The commemorative silver dollar is real silver, which in this case (as in the case of all US silver coins ever) is .900 pure (90% pure silver), known as Coin Silver. as a reference, Sterling Silver is .925 pure. The Mint is also offering a proof 50 cent piece in the standard “clad” format. Which is copper clad in nickel, not stainless steel, per the Coinage Act of 1965. With the increases in the price of silver the only other alternative was to reduce the physical size of the coins. Based on the current price of silver, a Coin Silver dime today would weigh 0.00314 oz in order to contain 10 cents worth of silver. Nobody these days uses silver for circulating coins.
The commemorative silver dollar is real silver, which in this case (as in the case of all US silver coins ever) is .900 pure (90% pure silver), known as Coin Silver. as a reference, Sterling Silver is .925 pure. The Mint is also offering a proof 50 cent piece in the standard “clad” format. Which is copper clad in nickel, not stainless steel, per the Coinage Act of 1965. With the increases in the price of silver the only other alternative was to reduce the physical size of the coins. Based on the current price of silver, a Coin Silver dime today would weigh 0.00314 oz in order to contain 10 cents worth of silver. Nobody these days uses silver for circulating coins.