What one Kennedy half, 90% is worth in silver
One Kennedy half, 90% contains 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver, from a coin weighing 12.5 grams at 900 parts per thousand. At the current benchmark that metal is worth $19.33. The benchmark behind it was set on , and every figure on this page moves with it.
| How many | Face value | Pure silver | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.50 | 0.3617 ozt | $19.33 |
| 10 | $5.00 | 3.6170 ozt | $193.30 |
| 20 | $10.00 | 7.2339 ozt | $386.60 |
| 50 | $25.00 | 18.08 ozt | $966.51 |
| 100 | $50.00 | 36.17 ozt | $1,933 |
The other silver Kennedy halves
The same coin was struck to more than one specification, and the difference is large enough that mixing them costs real money. Each row below is one coin at its own fineness.
| Version | Years | Weight | Fineness | Melt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy half, 90% | 1964 | 12.5 g | 900 | $19.33 |
| Kennedy half, 40% | 1965-1970 | 11.5 g | 400 | $7.90 |
What the coin is
There are three Kennedy halves and only the date separates them. The 1964 coin is 12.5 grams at 90% silver, holding 0.36170 troy ounces. From 1965 to 1970 the coin was reduced to 11.5 grams of a 40% silver clad composition, holding 0.1479 troy ounces. From 1971 onward the circulating coin is copper-nickel clad and contains no silver at all.
The 40% coins are built unusually. Rather than a uniform alloy, they have an outer layer of 80% silver bonded to a core of about 21% silver, which averages out to 40% across the whole coin. That is why a 1967 half looks silver on the face and slightly different at the edge, and it is also why the trade treats 40% coin as a separate category from 90% coin when pricing a lot.
A 1970-D never circulated. It was struck only for collector mint sets, so while it is a 40% silver coin like the rest of the run, you will not find one in change. Bicentennial halves dated 1776-1976 exist in both ordinary clad and a 40% silver collector version, and only the collector version, sold in special mint packaging, contains silver.
Is it worth more than its metal?
The 1964 Kennedy was hoarded on a scale no other modern US coin has matched. It was struck in the months after the assassination, people put them away by the roll, and over 400 million were made. The result is that circulated 1964 halves are common and trade essentially as bullion despite their age.
That hoarding is also why half dollars disappeared from circulation. They were saved rather than spent, and the denomination never recovered the habit, which is why a cashier today rarely has one in the drawer.
Premiums exist at the top of the grade scale and in proofs, particularly the 1964 Accented Hair proof variety, where the hair above the ear shows extra detail from an early die. For ordinary circulated coins of any date in the series, metal content is the value and there is no point hunting for rarities.
Selling it
Sort 1964 from 1965 to 1970 before you sell anything. A 1964 half holds nearly two and a half times the silver of a 1967 half, and a buyer who is handed them mixed will price the whole lot at the lower rate. It takes a minute and it is the single most valuable thing you can do with a jar of halves.
The 40% coins are less liked by dealers than 90% coin, for the same reason as war nickels: the clad construction makes them more awkward to refine, so they fetch a lower percentage of melt. If you have both, expect two different offers rather than one blended one, and ask for them separately.
Melt, resale and appraisal value sets out why those three numbers differ for the same object, and how we calculate shows every constant used on this page.
Kennedy half, 90% questions
Which Kennedy half dollars contain silver?
1964 coins are 90% silver. 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver. From 1971 the circulating coin is copper-nickel clad with no silver. The 1976 bicentennial exists in both clad and a 40% silver collector version.
How much silver is in a 1964 Kennedy half?
0.36170 troy ounces, from 12.5 grams at 90% fineness. That is the same silver content as a Walking Liberty or Franklin half, since all three share the pre-1965 half dollar specification.
How much silver is in a 1965 to 1970 Kennedy half?
0.1479 troy ounces, from 11.5 grams of 40% silver clad. It is less than half the silver of a 1964 coin, so the two should never be priced together.
Is a 1964 Kennedy half worth more than melt?
Usually only slightly. Over 400 million were struck and vast numbers were saved, so circulated examples trade as bullion. High grade uncirculated coins and the Accented Hair proof variety are the exceptions.
Are Kennedy halves after 1971 worth anything?
Only face value as metal, since they are copper-nickel clad with no silver. The exception is a 40% silver bicentennial half, which came in special mint packaging rather than from circulation.