Old silver coins

Old silver coin value — how much silver is in old Indian coins

The short answer
An Indian silver rupee struck from 1835 to 1939 holds 10.69 g of pure silver; a George VI rupee of 1940–45 holds 5.83 g; the 1946–47 rupee holds none — it is nickel. The silver is the floor under the price. Collectors usually pay more: silver rupees sold for a median of ₹4,200 across 32 completed sales.

What is the silver in it worth today?

Today’s silver rate, ₹ per gram

Type the rate per gram you are quoted; per kg ÷ 1,000. The column below fills in.

British India silver coins

Coin	Years	Pure silver	Silver value	Sold for (median)
1 Rupee EIC, Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI (1938–39) · 11.66 g, 0.917	1835–1939	10.69 g	—	₹4,200 32 sales
½ Rupee EIC, Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI (1938–39) · 5.83 g, 0.917	1835–1939	5.35 g	—	₹2,000 29 sales
¼ Rupee EIC, Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI (1938–39) · 2.92 g, 0.917	1835–1939	2.68 g	—	₹3,395 9 sales
2 Annas EIC, Victoria, Edward VII, George V (round, to 1917) · 1.46 g, 0.917	1841–1917	1.34 g	—	₹1,199 7 sales
1 Rupee George VI · 11.66 g, 0.500	1940–1945	5.83 g	—	too few sales
½ Rupee George VI · 5.83 g, 0.500	1940–1945	2.92 g	—	₹940 7 sales
¼ Rupee George VI · 2.92 g, 0.500	1940–1945	1.46 g	—	₹499 7 sales

“Sold for” groups every ruler of that standard and counts only completed sales at independent shops; a rare year or a sharp coin sells well above it, a worn common one near the silver value.

Republic India coins with a silver version

These were sold to collectors in mint sets. The coins of the same design that went into circulation are copper-nickel and hold no silver — check the weight before you assume.

Coin	Weight, fineness	Pure silver	Silver value
₹10 Gandhi Centenary (1969) and FAO (1970–71)	15 g, 0.8	12.00 g	—
₹10, 25 years of Independence (1972) and FAO (1973)	22.5 g, 0.5	11.25 g	—
₹20 FAO (1973)	30 g, 0.5	15.00 g	—
₹50 FAO and Year of the Child (1974–79)	34.7 g, 0.5	17.35 g	—
₹100 commemoratives, 1980–2010	35 g, 0.5	17.50 g	—
₹100 International Year of the Child (1981)	29.16 g, 0.925	26.97 g	—
₹1000 Brihadeeswarar Temple (2010)	35 g, 0.8	28.00 g	—
₹150 Gandhi 150th birth anniversary (2019)	40 g, 0.999	39.96 g	—

Coins that look like silver but are not

1946–47 George VI rupee, ½ and ¼ rupee (tiger on the back): pure nickel. The rupee sold for a median of ₹199 across 8 sales.
George V 2, 4 and 8 annas from 1918 on (square or wavy edges): copper-nickel.
Republic India circulation rupees and half rupees, from 1950 on: no silver (nickel, later copper-nickel and steel); the circulation ₹10, ₹20 and ₹50 commemoratives: copper-nickel.
“Nickel silver” or “German silver” contains no silver at all.

Two checks at home: a silver rupee of 1835–1939 weighs 11.66 g on a kitchen scale, and a magnet does not pick it up — a pure nickel coin it does.

Coins 100 or more years old cannot be sent out of India (Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972). Anyone offering lakhs for a silver rupee and asking you for a fee, a clearance or an “export” charge first is running the old-coin fraud. How it works

Weights and fineness from the standard catalogues, each checked against a second source (Silver Age Coins, WorldCoinGallery’s Krause silver weights, and the mint specification tables), 2 October 2026. Sale prices: completed sales at independent shops, up to 2026-10-03.

Selling an old silver coin?

List it with clear photos of both sides and the year. Buyers reach you by chat, your number stays private, and no genuine buyer asks you for money first.

List your silver coin