TikToker Life With Marz (@life.with.marz8) recently shared a “life hack”: With silver prices as high as they’ve been, stick $5 in a carwash change machine whenever you get the chance. As Life With Marz put it: “Maybe get lucky.”
So what’s going on here? Before 1965, quarters and dimes were 90% silver, compared to the clad change in our pockets today. Modern coins, as they say, are worth “face value” — 10 or 25 cents — but a 90% silver quarter or dime, minted before 1965, is worth much more based on its silver value alone. In 2026, with silver at about $80 an ounce on average, a 90% silver quarter is worth about $15 — not a bad investment for $5 in a change machine.
