A SHORT COIN LESSON
Which Kennedy Half Dollars Contain Silver?
Kennedy halves dated 1964 are 90% silver. Dates 1965–1970 are 40%. Regular circulation issues from 1971 are copper-nickel clad, but silver collector issues are exceptions. Check the date, then verify the exact issue.
Read the narration and photo credits
- Here's the Kennedy half-dollar date check.
- Nineteen sixty-four is ninety percent silver.
- Nineteen sixty-five through nineteen seventy is forty percent, so a nineteen sixty-eight still counts.
- From nineteen seventy-one, regular circulation issues are copper-nickel clad, with no silver.
- But collector issues can be different: silver Bicentennial halves and later silver proofs are exceptions.
- Start with the date, then verify the exact issue. Don't rely on color alone.
- You'll find the full Kennedy guide at NumisTrends dot net.
Photographs resized and cropped for display; coin details are not retouched. Olando / DE.MOLAI · public domain. Ricce · public domain. Narration: Kokoro neural speech, Heart stock voice, generated locally. No music.
Check the references
The full guide includes issue distinctions, reference specifications and the matching calculator profile.
- U.S. Mint — First striking of new half-dollar material ↗
- PCGS CoinFacts — Kennedy Type 2, Silver Clad ↗
- PCGS CoinFacts — 1970-D Kennedy half dollar ↗
- PCGS CoinFacts — Silver Bicentennial Kennedy half dollar ↗
- PCGS — The Return of Silver Proof Sets in 1992 ↗
- U.S. Mint — 2018 annual Silver Proof Set ↗
- U.S. Mint — 2019 Limited Edition Silver Proof Set ↗
- U.S. Mint — Kennedy 50th-anniversary products ↗
- NGC — U.S. silver coin melt specifications ↗
