Numistify guide

Which Spanish Coins Are Silver? Silver Content by Year

Spanish silver runs from the 8 reales that circulated around the world to the silver euro coins of today. The fineness changed many times, and the small reales followed their own standard. Here is each coin with its date range and silver content.

Updated October 2026 · tables generated from Numistify’s coin templates

The short answer

The 8 and 4 reales were struck in high-grade silver — .917 until 1771, then .903 or .896 — while the smaller reales used a lower “provincial” silver between .806 and .833. The decimal coins of 1847–1868 are mostly .900. In the peseta system from 1869, the 5 pesetas “duro” is .900 (to 1899), and the 50 céntimos, 1 and 2 pesetas are .835. The silver peseta ended in 1905, apart from a 1933 Second Republic peseta. Later silver is Franco’s 100 pesetas (.800), and .925 commemoratives in pesetas (1989–2001) and euros (from 2002).

Spanish silver coins by year

Not every coin is listed. This table is for reference: it covers the silver coins in Numistify’s catalogue and may not include every coin, date, variety or special issue. If your coin is not here, look it up in a world coin catalogue such as Numista or the Standard Catalog of World Coins, or ask your local coin shop.

Reading the table

Fineness is the share of silver in the coin: .900 means 90% silver. Silver (troy oz) is the pure silver it contains, the figure that sets its metal value — multiply it by the day’s silver price. KM is the coin’s number in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, the quickest way to look it up. Our guide to silver and gold melt value shows the calculation.

Telling them apart

Small reales are not proportional. A 2 reales does not contain a quarter of the silver of an 8 reales: the smaller coins were struck in lower provincial silver.

The last silver peseta is the Second Republic 1 peseta dated 1933 (struck in 1934); other 1 pesetas after 1905 are not silver.

Franco’s 100 pesetas carries the date 1966 in large figures; the real year of striking is in a small six-pointed star (66 to 70). It is .800 silver and the only Franco-era silver coin.

Silver euro coins — the 10, 12 and 20 euro — are .925 collector issues, not everyday change.

What they are worth

Silver content sets a floor, not the value. A scarce date, a rare mint or a coin in fine condition can be worth far more than its metal, so check before selling any coin for its silver: look it up in a world coin catalogue such as the Standard Catalog of World Coins or the NGC World Coin Price Guide, compare auction records and eBay sold listings for the same coin in the same condition, and ask your local coin shop. Our guide to what your coin is worth walks through each step, and are old foreign coins worth anything? covers sorting a mixed lot.

Questions people ask

Are old Spanish pesetas silver?

Some are. The 5 pesetas (duro) of 1869–1899 is .900 silver, and the 50 céntimos, 1 and 2 pesetas are .835. The silver peseta ended in 1905, except for a 1933 Second Republic 1 peseta. Most later pesetas are base metal, apart from Franco’s 100 pesetas and the 1989–2001 commemoratives.

Is the Spanish 5 pesetas silver?

The 5 pesetas duro of 1869–1899 is .900 silver, 25 g, with about 0.72 troy ounces of silver.

Is the 1966 100 pesetas silver?

Yes. Franco’s 100 pesetas dated 1966 is .800 silver, 19 g. The real year of striking, 1966 to 1970, is in the small star.

Are Spanish silver euro coins worth more than face value?

They are .925 silver collector coins; the 10 euro contains about 0.80 troy ounces. Whether they are worth more than face value depends on the silver price and demand, so compare current sold listings and ask your local coin shop.

Related guides

Silver and gold melt value — turning silver weight into a metal value.

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