Kennedy Half Dollars: Which Years Are Silver and What They Are Worth
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Short on time? The essentials
- The Kennedy half dollar has been struck at the United States Mint since January 1964, using obverse art by Gilroy Roberts and a modified presidential seal reverse by Frank Gasparro.
- Only 1964-dated coins are 90 percent silver. They weigh 12.50 grams and contain about 0.36169 troy ounces of silver.
- Coins dated 1965 through 1970 are 40 percent silver on average, with an outer layer of 80 percent silver clad to a core of 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver. They weigh 11.50 grams and contain about 0.14790 troy ounces of silver.
- The Coinage Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-81) authorized the drop from 90 percent silver to a silver-clad composition, and Congress removed all silver from the circulating half dollar in 1971.
- The 1971 and later coin weighs 11.34 grams and is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel clad to a pure copper core. It has no bullion silver at all.
- The 1970-D is the recognized key business-strike date: it was struck only at Denver, released only inside 1970 mint sets, with a mintage of about 2.1 million.
- The 1965 through 1967 years had no proof sets. The Mint issued Special Mint Sets from San Francisco instead. A tiny group of 1964 Special Mint Set halves also exists and trades in the five-figure range at auction.
- Bicentennial halves dated 1776-1976 exist as regular clad business strikes and as a separate 40 percent silver collector version issued in mint and proof sets.
On this page
- The Kennedy half dollar at a glance
- The three silver eras of the Kennedy half
- How to sort a jar by year in 30 seconds
- The edge-look identification test
- Verified physical specifications per era
- Live melt-value calculator
- Melt-floor math on a 90 percent and a 40 percent Kennedy
- The 1970-D key date and the 1970 mint set trick
- The 1965 to 1967 Special Mint Sets and the 1964 SMS
- The Bicentennial 1776-1976 halves
- What drives collectible value above melt
- Why people still hoard 40 percent silver halves
- Counterfeits and altered dates to watch for
- What your Kennedy half is probably not
- Kennedy half dollar FAQ
The Kennedy half dollar at a glance
The Kennedy half dollar is a 50 cent United States coin authorized by Congress in the weeks after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963. The Mint used existing works by two of its own sculptors, Gilroy Roberts for the obverse portrait and Frank Gasparro for the reverse, so that dies could be prepared quickly. Striking began in January 1964.
The obverse shows the left profile of President Kennedy. The reverse carries a modified version of the presidential seal, including a heraldic eagle above a shield with an olive branch and 13 arrows in its claws. The Bicentennial issue of 1975 and 1976 replaced the reverse with Seth G. Huntington's design of Independence Hall.
The coin has been struck at three facilities during its lifetime. Philadelphia strikes carry a P mint mark from 1980 onward and no mint mark before that. Denver strikes carry a D. San Francisco strikes carry an S and appear primarily on proof and collector issues. Circulation striking was suspended in 2002 and resumed only in 2021.
The three silver eras of the Kennedy half
Every Kennedy half dollar sits in one of three composition eras. The rule is date-based and it is the single most useful piece of information for anyone sorting a jar or an inherited box.
The 1964 issue is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. It carries the highest silver content of the series. Both the Philadelphia and Denver mints struck these coins in 1964, and both are considered common-date silver by weight rather than rare collectibles in worn grades.
The 1965 through 1970 issues are 40 percent silver by total content. The physical construction is a clad sandwich: an outer layer of 80 percent silver and 20 percent copper bonded to an inner core of 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver. The overall coin averages 60 percent copper and 40 percent silver by weight. Kennedy halves of this era retain a silvery surface look, which is why the edge test matters more than a quick face-side glance.
The 1971 and later issues are copper and nickel clad, the same composition family as the modern dime and quarter. The outer layers are 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel bonded to a pure copper core. The coin has no silver at all. In circulated grades it is worth face value: 50 cents.
How to sort a jar by year in 30 seconds
The fastest way to work through a bag or jar of Kennedy halves is to read the date first and let it do the sorting. The three-era rule below gives you the composition without a scale, a magnet, or a specific gravity test.
- Pull every 1964 coin into a silver pile. Anything dated 1964 is 90 percent silver, regardless of mint mark. These are the highest-silver Kennedy halves you will find.
- Pull every 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970 coin into a silver-clad pile. Every date in that six-year window is 40 percent silver in the clad sandwich. A 1970-D belongs in this pile even though it is also a key date and worth a closer look.
- Send everything dated 1971 or later to a face-value pile. These are copper and nickel clad. In circulated grades they are worth 50 cents each. The one narrow exception is the special Bicentennial coin issued in mint and proof sets that carries 40 percent silver, addressed further down.
- Confirm the doubtful pieces with the edge test. Any coin where the date is worn or unreadable can be sorted using the color of the edge, described in the next section.
- Set aside a candidate 1970-D or a raw uncertified 1964 SMS. These need a closer look and, for the 1964 SMS, certification from an independent third-party grading service.
The edge-look identification test
The edge of a Kennedy half tells you the composition when the date is worn or when you want a fast visual check without picking up each coin. Hold the coin so the reeded edge faces you and compare against the three patterns below.
A 90 percent silver 1964 coin shows a solid silvery band across the entire edge. There is no visible copper strip. The metal reads as one continuous bright color from face to face.
A 40 percent silver 1965 to 1970 coin shows a mostly silvery edge with a very faint warm hint from the copper-heavy core inside. The tone is subtle. Under indoor light it can look like a slightly duller version of the 1964 edge. Under bright natural light the warmer core is easier to see.
A copper-nickel clad 1971 or later coin shows a clear brown or reddish stripe running down the center of the edge. The outer layers are silvery, but the copper core between them reads as an unmistakable band. Once you see the pattern on one coin you will read every clad coin the same way at a glance.
Verified physical specifications per era
The table below sets out the three composition eras with their measured specifications. Any coin sold as a Kennedy half that fails these numbers is a counterfeit, a novelty, a damaged planchet, or a coin from a different series.
| Years | Composition | Weight | Silver content per coin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 90 percent silver, 10 percent copper | 12.50 grams | 0.36169 troy ounces |
| 1965 to 1970 | Outer 80 percent silver clad to core of 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver, 40 percent silver total | 11.50 grams | 0.14790 troy ounces |
| 1971 to present (circulation) | Outer 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel clad to a pure copper core | 11.34 grams | None (no silver) |
| 1776-1976 silver Bicentennial (collector sets only) | 40 percent silver clad | 11.50 grams | About 0.148 troy ounces |
| Diameter (all eras) | 30.6 mm | Thickness 2.15 mm | Edge reeded |
Sources: Wikipedia Kennedy half dollar entry with United States Mint composition and mass figures, and Coinage Act of 1965 (Pub. L. 89-81). Checked August 2026.
Live melt-value calculator
Melt-floor math on a 90 percent and a 40 percent Kennedy
The 1970-D key date and the 1970 mint set trick
The 1970-D Kennedy half is the recognized key date of the modern circulating series. According to Wikipedia and reporting by Numismatic News, the coin was struck only at the Denver mint and only for inclusion in 1970 mint sets. It was not released into general circulation. The mintage is about 2.1 million pieces.
The Mint did not publicly announce that no 1970 halves would be released for circulation. That silence discouraged large-scale hoarding of the mint sets themselves. When collectors later realized that the 1970-D was available only inside the intact 1970 mint set, prices for the set and for the coin rose sharply.
A 1970-D coin still sits in the same 40 percent silver composition as its 1965 to 1969 predecessors. Its melt floor is the same 0.14790 troy ounces of silver. The premium above melt is entirely collectible, driven by scarcity and by the mint-set-only release mechanism.
The 1965 to 1967 Special Mint Sets and the 1964 SMS
The Treasury Department cancelled proof coin production in 1965 to help address the coin shortage of that period. In place of proof sets, the Mint issued Special Mint Sets at the San Francisco Assay Office. Coins for the 1965 SMS were struck early in 1966 from heavily polished dies dated 1965, and no mint mark was applied. The 1966 and 1967 SMS coins carry no mint mark either.
Special Mint Set Kennedy halves show sharper strikes, satin or partially reflective fields, and cleaner surfaces than a regular business strike from the same year. In common grades an SMS coin trades above a plain 1965 to 1967 half but well within a rational collector premium. High-grade certified examples can carry meaningful premiums, and independent grading is standard for any SMS coin sold as such.
A separate and much scarcer variety is the 1964 Special Mint Set Kennedy half. According to numismatic reporting collected on the Wikipedia entry, roughly a dozen examples have been located, showing a satin finish, sharp strike, and die polishing lines. A 1964 SMS Kennedy half sold at auction in 2016 for 47,000 dollars per CoinWeek reporting. Any coin sold as a 1964 SMS should carry certification from an independent third-party grader before purchase.
The Bicentennial 1776-1976 halves
Kennedy halves dated 1776-1976 were struck for the United States Bicentennial. The reverse design is Independence Hall by Seth G. Huntington, replacing the modified presidential seal for these two years of production. Both dates on the coin refer to the Bicentennial and appear on every piece struck in 1975 and 1976.
The Bicentennial half exists in two distinct compositions. Regular circulation and mint-set strikes are the standard copper-nickel clad composition with no silver. A separate collector issue was struck in 40 percent silver clad and sold in three-coin Bicentennial silver sets and in six-coin proof sets alongside the silver Bicentennial quarter and dollar.
The circulation Bicentennial half is not silver and is worth face value in worn grades. The silver Bicentennial half from the collector sets carries about 0.148 troy ounces of silver and prices roughly with any 40 percent silver Kennedy half at melt. Original packaging and complete sets can raise the collector premium above the raw coin value.
What drives collectible value above melt
A silver Kennedy half in circulated condition typically trades at or near its melt value. A handful of factors move a specific coin above that floor. The list below explains what a serious buyer or an established grading service is actually looking at.
Condition is the largest lever. A common-date circulated silver half trades near melt regardless of mint. A sharp, original, uncirculated coin certified by an independent grader trades for multiples of the melt floor. A superb-gem-grade example at MS-67 or higher can command significant premiums for even a common date.
Date and mint mark scarcity carry weight. The 1970-D is the recognized key. The 1964 SMS is a top-tier rarity. Certain 1970-D and 1966 SMS varieties with die anomalies also carry premiums for specialists.
Full detail on the strike matters for the Kennedy series. Full Bell Lines, full presidential-seal detail, and cleanly defined hair strands on Kennedy's profile lift the coin above a mushy example of the same date and grade.
Authenticity and originality are the final gate. A cleaned coin, a chemically altered piece, or a counterfeit will always trade at a discount. Independent third-party grading is standard for any coin priced above raw common-date silver levels.
Why people still hoard 40 percent silver halves
The 1965 to 1970 Kennedy halves survive in relatively deep supply because millions of Americans pulled them out of circulation as silver prices rose in the 1970s and early 1980s. Bags and rolls of them still turn up in estates, safe deposit boxes, and inherited coin collections across the country.
They stay attractive to hoarders for three practical reasons. The silver content is verifiable to the coin: 0.14790 troy ounces per piece, in a design and edge pattern almost any dealer or refiner recognizes on sight. The face value provides a legal minimum floor of 50 cents per coin. And the coin remains legal tender indefinitely under United States coinage law.
The trade-off is that 40 percent silver Kennedys carry a lower per-ounce premium than clean 90 percent silver coins on the wholesale market. A bag of 40 percent halves is often sold at a discount per ounce of contained silver compared with a bag of pre-1965 dimes, quarters, or half dollars. Dealers price them accordingly.
Counterfeits and altered dates to watch for
The Kennedy half is less faked than a Morgan silver dollar, but a few problem patterns exist and every reader should know them.
Cast counterfeits of 1964 halves have appeared, often produced overseas to be melted for silver rather than to fool collectors. These pieces show soft details, incorrect weight, a seam along the edge, or a wrong reeding count. A jewelry scale is the fastest first check: a genuine 1964 half weighs 12.50 grams.
Altered-date coins are the second pattern. A common alteration turns a 1970-P or a 1970-S proof into a fake 1970-D by tooling the mint mark. Any 1970-D sold outside an original 1970 mint set should carry certification from an independent third-party grading service. Certification is also standard for a raw 1964 SMS candidate, given the auction-level value of a genuine piece.
Cleaned coins are the most common condition problem across the series. A wiped, dipped, or polished half will be graded as details by an independent service, which typically cuts value against an original piece of the same technical grade. A high-luster coin with hairline scratches under a loupe is a warning sign.
What your Kennedy half is probably not
Most Kennedy halves that reach a dealer counter or a resale listing are not what the owner is hoping for. It helps to know the usual patterns before shopping the coin.
A common 1971 or later clad half worth face value. This is the most common outcome. A circulated copper-nickel Kennedy in a jar is worth 50 cents at any bank or vending machine. It contains no silver and there is no numismatic premium in worn grades.
A common-date 40 percent silver 1965 to 1969 half. This coin is real 40 percent silver. In circulated grades its value is the melt floor, roughly matching the silver content at whatever spot price applies that day. Volume dealers price a group of them per ounce of contained silver.
A circulated 1964 half from any mint. A worn 1964 Kennedy is 90 percent silver and trades near its melt floor of 0.36169 troy ounces of silver per coin. Sharp mint-state examples of common 1964 issues can carry a modest collector premium, but they are not rare in absolute terms.
A regular clad Bicentennial 1776-1976 half. The one you likely pulled from change or a jar is the copper-nickel version. It is not silver. The 40 percent silver Bicentennial half was issued only in the collector sets and typically shows original packaging when priced above face.
A cleaned or polished silver Kennedy. Someone tried to make the coin brighter. Independent graders will assign a details grade instead of a numeric grade, which typically cuts value by half or more against an original coin.
An altered mint mark on a 1970 coin. A tooled or added D on a Philadelphia or San Francisco 1970 half is a modern alteration, not a genuine 1970-D. Only certification from an established third-party grader confirms a genuine 1970-D outside the original mint set.
A real 1964 SMS, undiscovered. This outcome is theoretically possible and it is the reason to look closely at any sharp, satin-finish 1964 half. It is also rare enough that it should not shape financial decisions before an independent grader confirms the coin.
Kennedy half dollar FAQ
Which Kennedy half dollars are silver?
Kennedy halves dated 1964 are 90 percent silver. Kennedy halves dated 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970 are 40 percent silver in a clad sandwich. Kennedy halves dated 1971 or later are copper and nickel clad and contain no silver, with the narrow exception of the 40 percent silver Bicentennial half issued only in collector sets. The mint mark does not change the composition rule.
How much silver is in a 1964 Kennedy half dollar?
A 1964 Kennedy half weighs 12.50 grams and is 90 percent silver. That works out to 11.25 grams of pure silver per coin, or about 0.36169 troy ounces. At a silver spot price of 30 dollars per troy ounce that content is worth about 10.85 dollars in raw metal, before any dealer buy spread or collector premium.
How much silver is in a 1965 to 1970 Kennedy half dollar?
A 1965 to 1970 Kennedy half weighs 11.50 grams and is 40 percent silver overall, made from an outer layer of 80 percent silver clad to a core that is 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver. Each coin contains about 4.60 grams of pure silver, or about 0.14790 troy ounces. At a silver spot price of 30 dollars per troy ounce that content is worth about 4.44 dollars in raw metal.
What is the rarest Kennedy half dollar?
Among regular business strikes the 1970-D is the recognized key date at a mintage of about 2.1 million, released only inside 1970 mint sets. Among special issues the 1964 Special Mint Set Kennedy half is a top-tier rarity, with only about a dozen examples located and one confirmed auction sale at 47,000 dollars in 2016. High-grade certified examples of certain 1965 through 1967 Special Mint Set halves also carry meaningful premiums.
Can I sell Kennedy halves for silver value?
Yes for coins dated 1964 through 1970. Coin dealers, bullion dealers, and refiners routinely buy 90 percent and 40 percent silver Kennedy halves priced against the current silver spot price, less a buy spread. Coins dated 1971 or later have no silver and trade at face value unless they are a certified high-grade collectible. A price quote is a function of the current spot price and the dealer's own buy premium.
Is it legal to melt silver Kennedy half dollars?
Yes. The Treasury melt-prohibition regulation at 31 CFR Part 82 covers one-cent and five-cent coins only. Half dollars are not on that list, so private melting of silver Kennedy halves is not restricted by that regulation. Whether melting is economically rational is a separate question, since refiners charge processing costs and pay a discount to spot.
How do I tell if a Kennedy half is silver without a scale?
Read the date. Anything 1964 is 90 percent silver. Anything 1965 through 1970 is 40 percent silver. Anything 1971 or later is clad. If the date is worn, hold the coin so the reeded edge faces you. A solid silvery band means 90 percent silver. A subtle warmer hint on the edge means 40 percent silver. A clear brown or reddish stripe running down the center of the edge means copper-nickel clad and no silver at all.
Do all silver Kennedy half dollars belong in a grading holder?
No. Grading has a fee that often exceeds the retail value of a common-date circulated silver Kennedy. Grading is appropriate for a 1970-D outside its original mint set, a suspected 1964 SMS, a high-grade uncirculated common-date coin you plan to sell to a serious buyer, or any coin sold as an error or variety. A certified grade from an established independent service sets the coin's market value in a way a verbal appraisal cannot.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Kennedy half dollar. Composition, mass, diameter, thickness, edge, designers, and release timeline: 1971 to current 11.34 g copper-nickel clad, 1965 to 1970 11.50 g at 40 percent silver total (outer 80 percent silver clad to core of 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver), 1964 12.50 g at 90 percent silver. Diameter 30.6 mm, thickness 2.15 mm, reeded edge. Obverse by Gilroy Roberts, reverse by Frank Gasparro, Bicentennial reverse by Seth G. Huntington. 1970-D issued only in mint sets with mintage of 2.1 million. 1964 Special Mint Set halves reported at roughly a dozen located examples, with one 2016 auction at 47,000 dollars per CoinWeek reporting. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_half_dollar. Checked August 2026.
- Wikipedia, Coinage Act of 1965. Public Law 89-81 signed July 23, 1965. Removed silver from the dime and quarter and reduced the silver content of the half dollar from 90 percent to 40 percent, with the silver-clad composition described in the statute. Underpins the composition change on Kennedy halves for 1965 through 1970. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinage_Act_of_1965. Checked August 2026.
- United States Mint, Half Dollar. Reference for the half dollar denomination, current 11.34 g weight, 30.6 mm diameter, copper-nickel clad composition, and Kennedy design history. usmint.gov/learn/history-and-artistry/half-dollar-coin. Checked August 2026.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 31 CFR Part 82: Prohibition on the Exportation, Melting, or Treatment of 5-Cent and One-Cent Coins. Confirms that the federal melt-prohibition rule covers only one-cent and five-cent coins. Half dollars are not covered by the regulation. ecfr.gov/current/title-31/subtitle-B/chapter-I/part-82. Checked August 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. 18 U.S. Code section 331: Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins. Federal statute cited by the U.S. Mint for the enforcement framework on defacing or fraudulently altering United States coins. law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/331. Checked August 2026.
- Internal Revenue Code section 408(m) and section 1(h)(4). Governs the collectibles rule for retirement accounts and the collectibles tax rate on gains from coin sales outside a retirement account. Office of the Law Revision Counsel. uscode.house.gov. Checked August 2026.