Prices are fetched automatically and may not reflect current merchant prices. Currency conversions and tax treatment are approximate. Rankings are based solely on price. We are not a dealer and accept no responsibility for transactions with listed merchants. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This site does not provide investment advice. Full disclaimer
About 3/4 oz Silver Coins
3/4 oz Silver Coins: A Collector's Denomination
A 3/4 oz coin contains 23.33 grams of metal, sitting between the half-ounce and one-ounce marks. It is not a standard bullion denomination: no major government mint produces a 3/4 oz coin as a recurring annual bullion product, and almost everything struck at this weight is a one-time commemorative issue. The weight has simply never gained market traction, because it falls between two established sizes without offering a clear advantage over either.
In silver, the denomination is most closely associated with the Royal Canadian Mint, which has used the 3/4 oz weight for occasional special issues. The War of 1812 series included a 3/4 oz silver coin, and the RCM has explored this weight for special-issue silver more than for gold. That makes the buyer profile here quite different from the mainstream silver coin market. Standard 1oz silver coins like the Maple Leaf or Britannia are bought by the tube and the monster box as straightforward metal exposure; 3/4 oz silver coins are bought individually, usually by collectors who want a specific design or series, or by stackers picking up secondary-market pieces when the price is right.
The economic case is correspondingly narrow. For pure bullion investment, a one-ounce coin offers better liquidity, lower premiums per ounce of silver, and far wider market recognition. Silver coins generally are the most popular entry point for new bullion investors, but that popularity is concentrated in the standard one-ounce format. A new buyer choosing 3/4 oz silver over 1 oz is paying for scarcity and design rather than getting more efficient metal exposure.
Where the weight does make sense is as a deliberate collector purchase. Limited mintages give these coins a profile closer to numismatic items than to commodity bullion, and on the secondary market they sometimes surface at prices that make the silver content attractive on its own terms. The key is knowing which of those two purchases you are making before you click buy.
How 3/4 oz Silver Premiums Behave
Premiums at this weight vary far more than at standard denominations, because most 3/4 oz coins are commemoratives with limited mintages rather than high-volume bullion strikes. Where a standard bullion coin's premium reflects predictable manufacturing and distribution costs, a commemorative's price reflects mintage, design appeal, and collector demand layered on top of the metal. Two 3/4 oz silver coins with identical silver content can sit at very different prices for reasons that have nothing to do with spot.
For context further down the weight ladder, government silver coins at the dominant one-ounce size typically carry premiums of 15-25% over spot in normal market conditions, with the lowest-premium sovereign options such as the 1oz silver Philharmonic and Maple Leaf at the bottom of that band. Commemorative issues at 3/4 oz generally price above standard bullion on a per-ounce basis, reflecting their lower production volumes, and the buyback side is weaker too: major dealers do quote on 3/4 oz coins, but the spread between buy and sell prices is wider than for standard weights.
Tax compounds the picture in some markets. In the UK, silver coins carry 20% VAT on purchase, and across the EU silver attracts full local VAT rates, so the effective all-in premium on any new silver coin is substantially higher than the headline figure. That maths penalises high-premium formats like commemoratives more than it penalises cheap bulk silver, since the VAT applies to the premium as well as the metal.
The practical takeaway: never price a 3/4 oz silver coin against spot alone. Compare it per ounce against what the same money buys in standard one-ounce coins, and treat anything above that benchmark as a collector premium you should only pay if the specific coin matters to you. Secondary-market pieces are where this weight occasionally turns into genuine value.
What Exists at 3/4 oz in Silver
The product list at this weight is short and dominated by Royal Canadian Mint special issues. The most visible is the 3/4 oz War of 1812 silver coin, part of an RCM commemorative series that used this unusual weight. Dealer listings also include the 3/4 oz Call of the Wild silver coin and generic or mixed-design 3/4 oz silver coins, much of it circulating on the secondary market, including pre-owned examples of the RCM issues.
There is no equivalent of an annual flagship series here. The RCM has treated 3/4 oz as a weight for occasional special strikes rather than a recurring product line, and other major mints have largely ignored it; European mints in particular have virtually no presence at this denomination. That means inventory at any given dealer is thin and changes with what happens to come through their buyback desk, rather than being restocked from a mint on a schedule.
For buyers who like the idea of an odd-weight silver coin but want a deeper market, the nearest practical alternatives sit on either side. One-ounce sovereign coins such as the 1oz silver Maple Leaf offer the deepest liquidity in the silver coin market, while 2 oz and larger coins serve buyers who want more metal per purchase. Anyone drawn to the 3/4 oz weight specifically is, in practice, choosing from a handful of RCM-linked designs.
Condition and packaging matter more here than with bulk bullion. These coins were typically sold in capsules or sealed mint packaging, and because their value rests partly on collector appeal rather than pure melt, a coin with original packaging and an undamaged surface will sell noticeably better than a loose, handled example of the same issue.
Selling and Storing an Odd-Weight Silver Coin
Liquidity is the main cost of this denomination. 3/4 oz coins are less liquid than any standard bullion weight, simply because the buyer pool is smaller: there is no established recurring bullion series at this weight, so there is no standing demand from stackers the way there is for one-ounce coins. Major online dealers will buy 3/4 oz silver coins back, but their inventory appetite is limited and the spreads they quote are wider than for standard weights.
Recognition is the second friction. At local coin shops, familiarity with the denomination is mixed, and many buyers simply have not handled one before. An unfamiliar weight invites extra scrutiny, slower transactions, and more conservative offers. Sellers will generally do better with online dealers who list the specific issue than with a walk-in shop seeing the coin for the first time. Coins tied to a recognised series, such as the RCM's War of 1812 issue, travel better than anonymous odd-weight pieces because the dealer can identify exactly what they are buying.
Storage and handling follow normal silver coin practice, with one quirk: no standard tube sizing exists for this weight, so these coins live in individual capsules or their original mint packaging rather than stacking into tubes the way one-ounce coins do. Physically they handle much like a standard one-ounce coin. Silver tarnishes when exposed to sulphur compounds in the air, and while tarnish does not affect melt value, it matters more here than with bulk bullion because part of the coin's value is collector appeal. A dark, spotted commemorative is a harder sell than a bright one. Keep capsules sealed, store in a low-humidity spot, and consider anti-tarnish strips in the storage container.
Held that way, a 3/4 oz silver coin is a perfectly sound thing to own. It just sells on a different clock to standard bullion: expect to wait for the right buyer rather than flipping it at a moment's notice.
3/4 oz Silver Coins: frequently asked questions
-
A 3/4 oz silver coin contains three-quarters of a troy ounce of fine silver, weighing 23.3276 grams. This is an uncommon weight compared to the standard 1 oz coin, issued by certain mints for specific programmes. The 3/4 oz size sits between the more widely traded 1/2 oz and 1 oz coins.
-
The melt value of a 3/4 oz silver coin is three-quarters of the current silver spot price of $65.71 per troy ounce. Retail prices will be higher once the dealer's premium is included. Because this is a less common weight, premiums can be higher than on standard 1 oz coins. The comparison table on this page shows live dealer prices.
-
The 3/4 oz weight is used by a small number of mints for specific commemorative issues, making it a narrower category than standard weights. This page tracks 9 listings from 6 dealers, reflecting what is currently available. The selection is smaller than at the more common 1 oz or 2 oz sizes.
-
Several simple tests help verify a silver coin. Genuine silver rings clearly when tapped (the ping test) and is non-magnetic. Silver also conducts heat rapidly, so an ice cube placed on it melts faster than on most metals. For added confidence, a professional specific-gravity test or XRF assay can confirm purity. Buying from reputable dealers with documented provenance reduces the risk of counterfeits.