MELT VALUES / SILVER
Kennedy Half Dollar (1965–1970, 40% Silver)
Melt value now SNAPSHOT
$10.29
20.6× face value
Designer
Gilroy Roberts & Frank Gasparro
Years struck
1965–1970
Mints
Philadelphia, Denver (D), San Francisco (S)
~850 million struck; silver-clad composition: 80/20 faces bonded to a 21% silver core, 0.1479 ozt net.
THE STORY
When the 1965 Coinage Act stripped silver from the dime and quarter, the half dollar kept a reduced 40% — a political concession that lasted six years. The public hoarded these too. Because they look identical to clad halves at a glance, 40-percenters are the most commonly missed silver in inherited accumulations and bank-roll hunts — check every 1965-1970 half twice.
Roll-hunters call halves 'the forgotten denomination' — banks still occasionally pay out 40% and even 90% silver halves at face.
KEY DATES WORTH REAL MONEY
Check these before treating any coin as melt.
| 1970-D | 2.15M, mint-set only — the key of the 40% era |
| 1966 SMS | Special Mint Set strikings with cameo surfaces |
Think you have one? Check recent auction records before selling — and read our grading basics first.
SPECIFICATIONS
Grading: where wear shows first
Value is metal, not grade, except the 1970-D. Toning on 40-percenters runs gray-slate.
Never clean a coin. Ever. Cleaning permanently destroys collector value — dark original toning is worth more than shiny damage.
Counterfeit check
None - the mission is identification: every 1965-1970 half is 40% silver and worth ~$10 at $69 spot, and most inherited jars have some.
Gear that settles it: an electromagnetic verifier, a calibrated scale and calipers — counterfeit basics.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ACTUALLY ASK
Are 1965 to 1970 half dollars silver?
Yes - 40% silver, 0.1479 ozt each, about $10 at $69 spot. The most commonly overlooked silver in America.
How do I spot a 40% half in a roll?
Date first (1965-70), then the edge: 40-percenters lack the bold copper stripe of clad halves.
Coin image: Wikimedia Commons — Public domain — Professional Coin Grading Service.
