INDEX
A Kennedy Half Dollar contains 0.3617 troy oz of silver if dated 1964, 0.1479 troy oz of silver for 1965–1970, and no silver from 1971 on.
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
About This Series
The Kennedy half dollar was rushed into production in early 1964, months after President Kennedy's assassination. Gilroy Roberts designed the obverse from a JFK inaugural medal; Frank Gasparro did the reverse. The 1964 coins were 90% silver, 1965-1970 were 40% silver, and everything from 1971 on was clad. The series is long and heavily collected, particularly the silver issues. Collectors look for the 1964 Accented Hair variety, the 1970-D (not released for general circulation), and the complete run of 40% silver coins from 1965-1970. Proofs and special mint sets dominate serious collecting of the modern clad dates.
Specifications
90% silver, 1964
- Composition
- 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Fineness
- 90.0%
- Weight
- 12.50 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
- ASW
- 0.3617 oz
- Years Produced
- 1964–present
ASW and melt value by era
| Era | Years | Weight | Fineness | ASW | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% silver | 1964 | 12.50 g | 90.0% | 0.3617 oz | $24.63 |
| 40% silver clad | 1965–1970 | 11.50 g | 40.0% | 0.1479 oz | $10.07 |
| Copper-nickel clad | 1971–present | 11.34 g | 0.0% | No silver | No melt value |
- Circulating Kennedy half dollars struck from 1971 onward contain no silver.
Collector issues (proof and commemorative)
| Era | Years | Weight | Fineness | ASW | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver proof / collector issues | 1976, 1992–present | 12.50 g | 90.0% | 0.3617 oz | $24.63 |
- 1976-S Bicentennial 40% silver issues weigh 11.50 g and contain 0.1479 ozt.
Mintage by year and mint
NGC Coin Explorer publishes fewer than 8 business-strike figures for this series, which is too few to rank one year against the rest.
| Year | Mint | Business strikes | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Denver | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC |
| 1964 | Philadelphia | 273,304,004 | 3,950,762 |
| 1965 | Denver | 65,879,366 | Not listed by NGC |
| 1966 | Denver | 108,984,932 | Not listed by NGC |
| 1967 | Denver | 295,046,978 | Not listed by NGC |
| 1968 | Denver | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC |
| 1968 | San Francisco | Not listed by NGC | 3,041,506 |
| 1969 | Denver | 129,881,800 | Not listed by NGC |
| 1969 | San Francisco | Not listed by NGC | 2,934,631 |
| 1970 | Denver | 2,150,000 | Not listed by NGC |
| 1970 | San Francisco | Not listed by NGC | 2,632,810 |
| Mintages as published by NGC Coin Explorer, 2026-03 snapshot. Covers 1964–1970. NGC Coin Explorer does not list every date and mint, so this is what it publishes rather than a complete census. | |||