Kennedy Half Dollar Coins

Ever since 1965, U.S. coinage has been primarily nickel and copper compared to the more valuable silver-clad coinage (90% silver). There are a few exceptions, particularly the 1965-1970 Kennedy half dollars which retain 40% silver content.

Some Kennedys were struck in silver by mistake, such as the 1971D and 1977D. These are very rare and are probably collectible for much more than their silver content.

In 1976, a bicentennial Kennedy half dollar was minted, showing Kennedy on the obverse with 1776-1976 underneath and Independence Hall on the reverse. These are copper-nickel clad with 1776-1976S (from San Francisco Mint) being silver-clad as part of proof sets and are generally not in circulation.

Other silver-clad Kennedys are available in yearly mint sets and are not in general circulation.

The only Kennedy Half Dollar to have a complete minting in silver-clad (90% silver). The 1964 Kennedy half dollar shares the appearance with all Kennedy half dollars that come after it except for the 1976 Bicentennial version which features Independence Hall on the reverse.

The 1964 Kennedy has a silver composition of .36169 ounces and is identifiable by it's date and completely silver cross section. They make a ringing sound when clinked together or dropped on a hard surface (don't drop any proof coins just to test them).

1964 Kennedys were minted in Philadelphia and Denver.

Although coins were no longer made with silver after 1964, the Kennedy persisted for 5 years with a 40% content, weighing in at .1479 ounces of silver in every coin.

1965-1970 Kennedys were minted in Denver and San Francisco, but...

due to the Coin Act of 1965, coins were not mint marked for 3 years, so 1965-1967 Kennedys could have been struck anywhere, although Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco are the most likely candidates.

Although the U.S. eliminated all silver from coins in general circulation, some silver-clad (90% silver) still escaped to the general public. These are widely believed to be 1971D and 1977D, originating from the Denver mint. Since no coins were silver-clad after 1964, it's not clear how these coins got out, perhaps refugees from a special silver mint set.

Regardless, some have been found in circulation and are 90% silver. Obviously not many of the 1971D and 1977D halves are expected to be silver, and the vast majority will be cupro-nickel (75%copper/25%nickel).

The Bicentennial Kennedy Half Dollar features the President on the obverse as he appears on all other mintings, and Bicentennial Hall in Philadelphia, designed by Seth G. Huntington, appears on the reverse.

These were minted in 1975 and 1976 in Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco and are cupro-nickel for general circulation, while some silver-clad were minted for uncirculated sets.

All Kennedy half dollars after 1970 are cupro-nickel (75% copper/25% nickel) clad designed to keep down metal costs. Some mint and proof sets are minted and some of these are in silver-clad (90% silver) for collectors. Only cupro-nickel mintings are in general circulation from Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco.

Proof sets are struck in San Francisco.

As with all coins, misprint and offsets can be worth more than the regular coin.

A misprint features the wrong obverse or reverse on the coin, such as a Washington quarter stamped on a half dollar round, or two Kennedy obverses (two heads) on one coin (or two reverses for that matter).

Offsets occur when the coin is not properly placed below the die and the obverse, reverse or both are out of alignment. This causes the image to be offset on the coin, the rest of the coin being smooth by comparison. Offset coins may also feature smooth edges instead of ridges.

There are other errors too - see these links for more information on pricing and how this happens.

Error Coin Values
Mint Errors

Kennedy halves are interesting enough, but with 40-90% silver content (1970 and earlier with some outliers), silver collectors keep their eye out for them too.

With the price of silver going up in 2009, it's no wonder they're so popular with silver collectors, with a silver weight of .1479 to .36169 ounces of silver per coin.