Coin values · 40% silver · 1965–1970
1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar value: 40% silver melt value
Kennedy half dollars dated 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver. Each holds 0.1479 troy oz of silver, about 41% of a 1964 half, so melt is lower but still far above the 50-cent face value at today’s silver price. At the Nov 3, 2026 close ($49.78/oz silver), one coin’s 0.1479 oz of silver was worth $7.36.
1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar specifications
| Years struck | 1965–1970 |
|---|---|
| Designers | Gilroy Roberts (obverse), Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
| Mints | 1965–1967: no mintmarks (the first were struck at Denver on December 30, 1965); 1968–1970: Denver (D), with proofs at San Francisco (S) |
| Composition | Outer layers 80% silver / 20% copper bonded to a core of 20.9% silver / 79.1% copper: 40% silver overall (4.6 g of silver) |
| Weight | 11.50 g |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm, reeded edge |
| Silver content (ASW) | 0.1479 troy oz |
| Face value | 50 cents |
| Melt value | $7.36 at the Nov 3, 2026 close ($49.78/oz silver); live value above |
Weights, fineness and mintages come from the primary records listed under Sources; melt is computed from the gold or silver content.
1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar melt calculator
Melt = pure metal content × recent spot (silver $49.78/oz). This is the bullion floor; collectible coins can be worth far more. Federal rules restrict melting only 1¢ and 5¢ coins (31 CFR Part 82; 1942–1945 silver war nickels are exempt). This estimates intrinsic value.
What a 1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar’s silver has been worth since 1968
A 1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar held about $0.29 of silver in 1968, peaked near $15.26 in 2026, and its metal is worth $7.36 today. That is melt only; a scarce date or high grade can carry a collector premium on top.
1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar melt value by decade
Melt of one coin at each decade’s December close. The peak month was Jan 2026 at $15.26; the low was Oct 1971 at $0.19. Melt first rose above the $0.50 face value in Jan 1974 and has been above it in 635 of 707 months since 1968.
| Close | Silver price | Melt per coin |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 1970 | $1.63 | $0.24 |
| Dec 1980 | $15.50 | $2.29 |
| Dec 1990 | $4.19 | $0.62 |
| Dec 2000 | $4.58 | $0.68 |
| Dec 2010 | $30.63 | $4.53 |
| Dec 2020 | $26.49 | $3.92 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | $49.78 | $7.36 |
Prices: LBMA benchmark history, then Bullion Trading LLC 5 pm ET spot closes (monthly observations).
About the 1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar
The Coinage Act of 1965 kept some silver in the half dollar as a compromise, in a clad “sandwich”. It did not keep the coin in circulation: with silver rising these halves were hoarded too, and from 1971 the half dollar became copper-nickel clad with no silver.
The Mint stopped using mintmarks during the 1965–1967 coin shortage, so those coins carry none. From 1968 the D or S sits on the obverse, below the portrait and above the date.
Telling 40% from clad: a 40% half weighs 11.50 g and its edge shows a pale silvery core; a 1971-or-later clad half weighs 11.34 g and shows a copper stripe. The date settles it.
Key dates and mintages
- 1970-D: 2,150,000 struck for uncirculated mint sets only, so it is the scarce date of the 40% run.
- 1965–1967 Special Mint Set coins were sold to collectors in place of proofs.
- 1968-S to 1970-S proofs are also 40% silver.
When is a 1965–1970 Kennedy half dollar worth more than melt?
Circulated 40% halves trade on silver content. The 1970-D and high-grade or Special Mint Set coins carry premiums; we do not publish collector prices.