Silver Half Dollar Value
Byline: Reviewed by the Silver Value Chart Editorial Team · Updated September 19, 2026
$24.01 melt value per coin
0.36170 troy oz of silver at $66.38/oz
Quick answer
Half dollars are the only US denomination with two different silver grades, and confusing them is the most common costly mistake on this page.
- Pre-1965 halves are 90% silver — 12.5 g, 0.36170 troy oz, worth $24.01 as of September 19, 2026.
- 1965–1970 Kennedy halves are 40% silver — 11.5 g, 0.14789 troy oz, worth $9.82.
- 1971 and later are copper-nickel clad, with no silver.
A 40% half holds well under half the silver of a 90% one. Counting them together is how sellers get short-changed.
- Years struck
- through 1964
- Gross weight
- 12.5 g
- Fineness
- .900
- Actual silver weight
- 0.36170 troy oz
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
- Face value
- 50¢
Why there are two grades
In the early 1960s the silver price rose toward the point where the metal in a coin was worth more than its face value. When that happens, coins vanish from circulation — people melt or hoard them — and the Coinage Act of 1965 removed silver from the dime and quarter entirely in response.
The half dollar got a compromise. The Kennedy half had been introduced in 1964, months after the assassination, and was being hoarded as a keepsake rather than spent. Rather than strip its silver entirely, Congress reduced it to 40% for 1965 through 1970.
The 40% coins are clad, not an even alloy: outer layers of roughly 80% silver bonded to a core of about 20.9% silver, averaging 40% overall. That structure is why the edge test behaves differently on them — see below.
From 1971 the circulating half dollar became copper-nickel clad like the dime and quarter. Silver proof and collector issues continued separately.
The designs
Walking Liberty (1916–1947) — Weinman's design, widely regarded as among the finest American coinage, and later revived for the American Silver Eagle. Common dates trade near melt; early dates and mintmarked issues from the 1916–1921 period carry real premiums.
Franklin (1948–1963) — all 90% silver. Mostly traded as metal, with the exception of high-grade examples showing full bell lines on the Liberty Bell reverse, which collectors pay well for.
Kennedy (1964) — the only 90% silver Kennedy, and by far the most important date to identify correctly. Struck in enormous numbers and widely saved.
Kennedy (1965–1970) — 40% silver.
Kennedy (1971 onward) — no silver in circulating issues. The 1976 Bicentennial design, dated 1776–1976, is clad in circulation; 40% silver versions were sold only in collector sets.
Telling the three types apart
Check the date first. This is the one denomination where the date matters more than the edge, because there are three categories rather than two.
- 1964 or earlier → 90% silver.
- 1965–1970 → 40% silver.
- 1971 or later → no silver, with collector-set exceptions.
Then check the edge. A 90% half shows a solid silver-white edge. A clad copper-nickel half shows a distinct copper stripe. A 40% half shows an edge that is greyish and faintly banded — less obviously coppery than a modern clad coin, but not the clean white of a 90% coin either. This one takes practice; the date is more reliable.
Weigh them. 90% halves are 12.5 g, 40% halves 11.5 g, modern clad 11.34 g. The gap between 40% and clad is small, so use the date for those.
Worked examples at today's price
| Quantity | Type | Silver content | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 half | 90% | 0.36170 oz t | $24.01 |
| 1 half | 40% | 0.14789 oz t | $9.82 |
| 2 halves ($1 face) | 90% | 0.7234 oz t | $48.02 |
| 1 roll (20) | 90% | 7.234 oz t | $480.19 |
| 1 roll (20) | 40% | 2.958 oz t | $196.34 |
| $100 face | 90% | 72.34 oz t | $4,802 |
Two 90% halves hold exactly the same silver as four quarters or ten dimes — 0.7234 troy ounces per dollar of face value. That constant applies only to the 90% coinage. The 40% halves sit outside it entirely, which is precisely why they must be counted separately. See the junk silver calculator.
Halves are the efficient denomination
For anyone selling junk silver in quantity, half dollars are the least work.
A dollar of face value in halves is two coins. In dimes it is ten. Dealers count, verify and handle halves faster, and some pass a little of that efficiency back in the price. If you are choosing what to sell first from a mixed holding, halves are usually the cleanest transaction.
They are also the denomination where bank hunting persists as a hobby — buying rolls of halves at face value and searching for silver. Modern halves barely circulate, so rolls sometimes still contain 40% or even 90% coins that were spent decades ago.
What dealers actually pay
Near melt, as with all junk silver — no assay needed, verified by date in seconds.
Expect 40% halves to be quoted separately and at a lower rate per coin. Some dealers are less enthusiastic about 40% material because retail demand for it is thinner. Do not be surprised by a wider discount there than on 90%.
Melt value is a ceiling, not an offer. Check for key dates — early Walking Liberties, full-bell-line Franklins — before selling in bulk, and do not clean anything.
If you are buying instead
90% halves are a popular junk silver format for their handling efficiency. 40% halves often trade at a lower premium over spot, making them a cheaper route to metal for anyone untroubled by the lower silver content per coin.
See what a realistic premium over spot looks like →
Related pages
Silver quarter value · Silver dime value · War nickel value · Junk silver calculator · Morgan silver dollar value
FAQ
Are 1965 half dollars silver? Yes, but only 40% — 0.14789 troy ounces, well under half a pre-1965 coin. This applies through 1970.
How much silver is in a 1964 Kennedy half? 0.36170 troy ounces. 1964 is the only 90% silver Kennedy.
When did half dollars stop containing silver? Circulating halves lost their silver entirely after 1970. Collector and proof issues in silver continued separately.
Are Bicentennial half dollars silver? Circulating ones are not. 40% silver versions were sold only in collector sets.
Why are half dollars easier to sell than dimes? Fewer coins per dollar of face value means less counting and handling for the dealer. Some pass a fraction of that saving on.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (SI=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Silver is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.