LemonTrades
TL;DR
- 1964 Kennedy halves are 90% silver, with 0.3617 troy ounces. Halves from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver, with 0.1479 ounces. Their melt values are live below.
- Kennedy halves from 1971 on, made for circulation, contain no silver and are usually worth 50 cents.
- The 1970-D, sold only in mint sets, is the key date, and a few varieties like the 1964 “Accented Hair” proof are worth much more.
- LemonTrades follows the silver price for you, with alerts on sharp moves and the likely cause.
Find the date below the bust, and you know most of what your coin is worth.
Key dates and varieties
| Coin | Why it’s special |
|---|---|
| 1964 “Accented Hair” proof | Early proofs with extra lines in the hair; worth well above melt |
| 1964 Special Mint Set | Only about a dozen known |
| 1970-D | About 2.1 million made, sold only in mint sets: the series key |
| 1974-D doubled die | Doubling in “WE TRUST” |
| 1976-S 40% silver | From Bicentennial collector sets |
| 2014 50th anniversary gold | A 99.99% gold version, worth thousands |
Why the silver was cut
Silver became too valuable for coins in the 1960s, and people hoarded the new Kennedy halves as keepsakes. The Coinage Act of 1965 cut halves to 40% silver, and from 1971 they became copper-nickel like quarters.
How to tell at a glance
The edge: a 90% silver half is solid silver; a 40% half looks silver with a faint gray line; a clad half shows a clear copper stripe.
Condition matters most: a worn coin and a sharp, uncirculated one of the same date can differ by ten times or more. Look for wear on the highest points of the design, and never clean a coin you might sell; cleaning cuts its value.
Selling
To sell, compare offers from two or three coin dealers, or have a valuable coin graded by PCGS or NGC first. Bulk common coins sell close to melt value: see junk silver. Is it real? See is silver magnetic.
By year: 1964 Kennedy half, 1971 half dollar and the 1776–1976 Bicentennial half. All halves: silver half dollar value.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kennedy half dollar
- Wikipedia: Coinage Act of 1965
- PCGS: coin price guide
- NGC: US coin price guide
Education, not financial advice. Collector values vary with condition and demand; get a valuable coin checked by a reputable dealer or grading service. See our disclaimer.
