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What face value means on a coin
Face value is the number stamped on the coin. It is spending money. It is not what a shop pays for silver or gold.
Face value is the number on the coin.
A quarter says 25 cents. That is face value. You can spend it for 25 cents. A shop buying 1964 and earlier silver often counts those coins by face value because the silver content is a known fraction of that number. They are not offering you twenty-five cents for a 1964 quarter.
When face value is the whole story
Clad coins after 1965. Most nickels. Most pennies. Steel cents. Modern dollar coins. A jar of them is a jar of face value plus time. A jar of pennies. Inflation and pocket change.
When face value is only a label
A Silver Eagle says $1 and holds an ounce of silver. A Gold Eagle says $50 and holds an ounce of gold. The shop prices the metal. Legal tender. Junk vs Eagles vs bars. 90% silver.
Why shops still say “$10 face”
It is a counting method. Ten dollars in 90% dimes is a known amount of silver. It is faster than weighing every Mercury dime. Write it on the ticket as face, then as a dollar bid, so nobody mixes the two.
More on the coin and money library.