---
title: "1965 to 1970 Kennedy Half Dollar Value: Are They Silver?"
description: "Kennedy halves dated 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. Melt value, retail values, which years have mint marks and why the 1970-D is different."
canonical: https://dimehound.app/coins/kennedy-half-dollar-40-percent-silver/
author: Mike Moore
published: 2026-10-08
modified: 2026-10-08
values_checked: Oct 8, 2026
---

# 1965 to 1970 Kennedy Half Dollar Value: Are They Silver?

By Mike Moore. Published Oct 8, 2026. Updated Oct 8, 2026. Canonical page: https://dimehound.app/coins/kennedy-half-dollar-40-percent-silver/

Yes. Kennedy half dollars dated 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver, worth about $8.73 each in melt at today's silver price. Worn ones retail around $13. The 1970-D is scarcer because it was only sold in mint sets. Halves dated 1971 and later have no silver and are worth 50 cents unless uncirculated or an error.

- **Composition:** 40% silver overall. 0.1479 oz of pure silver.
- **Years:** 1965, 1966, 1967 (no mint marks), 1968-D, 1969-D, 1970-D. The 1968-S to 1970-S proofs are 40% silver too.
- **Mint mark:** 1965 to 1967 have none. 1968 to 1970 have the D or S on the front, below the bust and above the date.

**Melt value: $8.73.** Based on 0.14792 oz of silver at $59.00 per ounce on Oct 8, 2026. Melt value moves with the silver price every day.

## Value by grade

**40% silver Kennedy half retail values by grade**

| Coin | Circulated (G4 to AU50) | MS60 | MS65 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1965, 1966, 1967 | $12.92 | $13.96 | $98 |
| 1968-D, 1969-D | $12.92 | $13.96 | $44 |
| 1970-D (2,150,000 made, mint sets only) | $12.92 | $32 | $98 |

Retail values from USA Coin Book. Proofs from 1968-S and 1969-S run about $17 in PR65, and 1970-S about $25. Values checked Oct 8, 2026.

## What to look for

- Check the date first. Only 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. 1964 is 90%. 1971 and later have none.
- The edge of a 40% half looks mostly silver gray with a faint darker line. A 1971 or later half shows a bright copper stripe.
- A 1970-D in uncirculated condition is worth more than the other years.

## Fakes and lookalikes

- Counterfeits are rare at this price. The common mix-up is a clad 1971 or later coin. Weigh it: 40% halves weigh 11.50 grams, clad halves 11.34 grams.

## Find my keepers

Dime Hound is a coin scanner for iPhone and Android. Join the waitlist at https://dimehound.app/coins/kennedy-half-dollar-40-percent-silver/#keepers and we'll email you once, the day it launches.

## FAQ

### Are 1965 half dollars silver?

Yes, 40% silver. They hold 0.1479 oz of silver, about $8.73 at $59.00 an ounce on Oct 8, 2026.

### Are 1971 half dollars silver?

Circulation 1971 halves are copper-nickel clad with no silver. They are worth 50 cents unless uncirculated or an error.

### Why is the 1970-D half worth more?

Denver made only 2,150,000 and they were sold in mint sets, not released for circulation.

### Is the 1776 to 1976 bicentennial half silver?

Only the 40% silver S-mint coins sold in collector sets. The ones from circulation are clad.

## Related coins

- [1964 Half Dollar Value: What Your Kennedy Half Is Worth](https://dimehound.app/coins/1964-half-dollar-value/)
- [1964 Quarter Value: What Yours Is Worth](https://dimehound.app/coins/1964-quarter-value/)
- [Bicentennial Quarter Value: Is Your 1776 to 1976 Quarter Worth Anything?](https://dimehound.app/coins/bicentennial-quarter-value/)
- [1964 Dime Value: What Yours Is Worth](https://dimehound.app/coins/1964-dime-value/)
- [War Nickel Value: Which 1942 to 1945 Nickels Are Silver](https://dimehound.app/coins/war-nickel-value/)

## Sources

1. [USA Coin Book, Kennedy half dollar values](https://www.usacoinbook.com/coins/half-dollars/kennedy/)
2. [Greysheet, 40% silver Kennedy half](https://www1.greysheet.com/prices/item/kennedy-half-dollar-business-strike-forty-percent-silver/gsid/24984)
3. [Kennedy half composition and specs](https://kennedyhalfdollars.net/composition-and-specifications/)
4. [Yahoo Finance, silver price Oct 8, 2026 (silver price for melt value)](https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/investing/article/silver-price-today-thursday-october-8-2026-silver-prices-slip-to-august-levels-after-wallers-rising-rates-comments-110829225.html)
5. [Fortune, silver price Oct 8, 2026 (silver price for melt value)](https://fortune.com/article/current-price-of-silver-10-8-2026/)

Values are retail estimates or recorded sale prices from the sources above, checked Oct 8, 2026. What a dealer pays you is usually less than retail. Silver spot traded between about $58.70 and $60.40 on Oct 8, 2026. We use $59.00 an ounce for melt math.