Silver content by year, with live melt values
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Melt value is the value of the metal only. Dealers usually buy a little under melt and sell above it, and rare dates or high-grade coins can be worth much more to collectors.
| 1964 | 90% silver, 12.50 g |
| 1965–1970 | 40% silver overall, 11.50 g |
| 1971 and later | Copper-nickel clad, 11.34 g (circulation) |
| Collector silver | 90% silver 1992–2018, .999 silver 2019 on (collector products only) |
The Kennedy half dollar has been made for circulation in three compositions:
The U.S. Mint has also made silver Kennedy halves for collectors only: the 1976-S 40% silver Bicentennial half, 90% silver halves from 1992 to 2018 (mainly proofs in silver proof sets, plus special issues like the 2014 50th Anniversary set, which also included uncirculated finishes), and .999 silver since 2019. You won’t find these in pocket change.
Note: the 1970-D half was issued only in uncirculated mint sets, and there was no 1970 Philadelphia half for circulation, so 1970 halves are rarely found in pocket change.
Condition and rarity can make some coins worth far more than their metal. Here are the ones collectors look for:
Mintages from PCGS CoinFacts and other standard references. Collector values depend on exact date, mint mark and grade, so check a current price guide, or ask us in our Discord.
1964 halves are 90% silver and 1965–1970 halves are 40% silver. Circulation halves from 1971 on have no silver.
0.36169 troy ounces of pure silver.
About 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver.
Specs verified October 2026 against: PCGS CoinFacts · U.S. Mint coin specifications (clad coins) · Greysheet. Live prices from gold-api.com, refreshed every minute.
