Here's a fascinating look at how currency composition and purchasing power have shifted over decades. Back before 1965, U.S. quarters packed serious metal—90% silver and 10% copper. Each coin weighed 6.25 grams with roughly 5.63 grams of pure silver inside. That means you'd need just 5.5 of those pre-1965 quarters to have a full ounce of silver, which trades around $76 today. Meanwhile, the minimum wage in 1965 stood at $1.25 per hour. Fast forward to now, and the contrast becomes pretty striking. It's a useful lens for understanding how both currency composition and real purchasing power have evolved—something worth considering when evaluating different stores of value across time periods.