Are Half Dollars Worth Anything? |

Sometimes.

This is one of the most common questions we get, and unfortunately it is difficult to answer over the phone without knowing the date.

Most of the value in common half dollars comes from their silver content. The challenge is that several different types of half dollars look similar, while others look much older than they actually are.

The easiest way to determine whether a half dollar is worth more than face value is to look at the date.

Half Dollar Silver Guide

1964 and Earlier

Half dollars dated 1964 and earlier contain 90% silver.

This includes:

Kennedy Half Dollars (1964 only)
Franklin Half Dollars (1948-1963)
Walking Liberty Half Dollars (1916-1947)
Barber Half Dollars (1892-1915)

Even heavily worn examples are usually worth significantly more than fifty cents because of their silver content.

1965-1970

Kennedy half dollars dated 1965 through 1970 contain 40% silver.

These coins still have silver value, but less than the 1964-and-earlier halves.

This is where many people get confused because a 1964 Kennedy half dollar and a 1965 Kennedy half dollar look almost identical even though the silver content is different.

1971 and Later

Most Kennedy half dollars dated 1971 and later contain no silver and are generally worth face value unless they have collector value, errors, or were issued in special collector sets.

These are the coins most people find in change, inherited collections, or old drawers.

Why The Confusion?

Part of the confusion comes from appearance.

A Franklin half dollar can look very old to someone who is not familiar with coins, but the newest Franklin half dollars were made in 1963. In the coin world, that is collectible, but not especially ancient.

At the same time, the silver Kennedy half dollars and the non-silver Kennedy half dollars look nearly identical. Unless you know the dates, it is easy to assume they all contain silver.

Face Value Does Not Mean Worthless

One funny thing that happens in our shop is that someone will bring in a modern half dollar, we’ll explain that it does not contain silver and is generally worth face value, and they’ll respond with, “So it’s worthless?”

Not exactly.

A 1985 half dollar is still worth fifty cents. You can spend it, deposit it at a bank, or use it anywhere U.S. currency is accepted.

When coin dealers say a coin is worth face value, we simply mean it does not currently carry a collector premium above the amount printed on it.

There is a big difference between a coin being worth face value and a coin being worthless. A modern half dollar still buys exactly fifty cents worth of goods and services, which is more than can be said for a lot of things people save.