That's somewhat of a tall order, but here are some things to look for that are different from modern bills:
For more information about a specific bill, determine the letter next to the date and look for questions of the form "What is the value of a 1935 [letter] US 1 dollar silver certificate?"
The US issued both $5 and $10 silver certificates with that date. Please make sure your bill has a blue seal and the words Silver Certificate across the top, then check one of these questions: "What is the value of a 1953 US 5 dollar silver certificate?" "What is the value of a 1953 US 10 dollar silver certificate?"
It will have the words Silver Certificate printed across the top of the bill's front. In most but not all cases, the seal and serial numbers will be printed in blue ink.
The US printed two types of bills with that date. Silver Certificates have blue seals and the words SILVER CERTIFICATE on them; US Notes have red seals and the words UNITED STATES NOTE.Depending on which you have, please see one of the following questions for more information:What is the value of a 1923 US 1 dollar silver certificate?What is the value of a 1923 1 dollar US Note?
Please don't assume every old bill must be a silver certificate. Your bill should have a red seal and the words United States Note rather than Silver Certificate. Small-size silver certificates were printed from 1928 to 1957 and generally have blue seals. Please see the question "What is the value of a 1963 US 5 dollar bill with a red seal?" for more information.
Any red-seal US $2 bill dated 1928 or later is a United States Note and not a certificate. Certificates were exchangeable for silver or gold, and carried the words Silver Certificate or Gold Certificate across the top. Please see the question "What is the value of a (date) US 2 dollar bill?" for more information, where (date) is your bill's series date.
The last silver certificates were $1 bills dated 1957. Please check your bill again. It should have a red seal and the words United States Note rather than Silver Certificate. There's more information at the Related Question.
It's easy if the bill was printed from 1928 to 1953, the last series year $5 silver certificates were issued. All bills will have the words SILVER CERTIFICATE in the banner across the top, and with one exception they'll all have blue seals and serial numbers. The only exception is a series of special 1934 and 1934 A bills printed for use in Hawaii during WWII; these have brown seals but still say Silver Certificate. Older bills may have the words Silver Certificate or they may say something like "Five Silver Dollars" on them.
Current auction prices are $5.-$10. depending on how worn it is. However, it's not a silver certificate. The last $2 silver certificates were printed in 1899. Your bill should have a red seal and the words United States Note on it, which is its currency type.
The last silver certificate $1 bills were dated 1957. A bill dated 1974 should have a green seal and the words "Federal Reserve Note" across the top. Unless it's in crisp uncirculated condition it has no extra value.
Bills printed from 1928 till 1957 (the last series year) will have the words Silver Certificate printed across the top of the bill's front. In most but not all cases, the seal and serial numbers will be printed in blue ink. Some special WWII bills may have brown or yellow seals. Older (pre-1928) bills may be more difficult to identify. Some will say Silver Certificate, but others may use words such as "5 silver dollars" or "one dollar in silver coins", etc.
Please post a new question that's less ambiguous. If you mean "what's the value of a silver dollar", include its date and mint mark. If you mean "what's the value of a silver certificate", include its date, the letter (if any) next to the date, and denomination. If you mean "how much is a dollar's worth of silver", Google the words SPOT PRICE SILVER and divide 1 by the price in dollars per ounce to get the number of ounces in $1.
The layout of the back is essentially identical to modern $1 bills. The front is similar but with some obvious differences, such as the words "Silver Certificate" and "In silver payable to the bearer on demand"; a blue seal and serial numbers; and the absence of a Federal Reserve seal. Beyond that, an actual picture is much more instructive. While it's not Answers.com policy to say "use the Internet", that's the best approach in this case. You can use any major search engine to look for "1957 1 dollar silver certificate images" or a similar phrase.