Walking Liberty, Franklin and 1964 Kennedy halves are 90% silver and hold 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver (12.5 g × 90%). Kennedy halves from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver and hold 0.1479 troy ounces. Halves dated 1971 or later that you find in change are clad. A few later silver halves were sold only to collectors (see the table below). The silver price today is $52.55 per troy ounce.
Melt values here use the silver reading from gold-api.com. A fresh reading loads when you open the page and about every 45 seconds after that; if the request fails, the figures use the price saved at build time (Live · updated 19:00 UTC).
Silver halves run 1916 to 1964 (90%), then Kennedy halves 1965 to 1970 (40%). No Walking Liberty halves were struck in 1922, 1924 to 1926 or 1930 to 1932. Halves dated 1971 to today that you find in change are clad. Years come from the mintage tables in our series data.
| Coin | Silver | Melt now |
|---|---|---|
| Walking Liberty Half Dollar1916–1947 | 90% | $19.01 |
| Franklin Half Dollar1948–1963 | 90% | $19.01 |
| Kennedy Half Dollar1964 | 90% | $19.01 |
| Kennedy Half Dollar1965–1970 | 40% | $7.77 |
The 90% halves use 12.5 g × 90%; the 40% Kennedy uses 4.6 g, the figure in the 1965 Act. Divide by 31.1035 g per troy ounce and multiply by the silver price. Copper is left out. The weight and fineness of each half dollar are taken from the acts listed under Specifications.
ASW is actual silver weight. For the 90% silver half, 12.5 g × 90% = 11.250 g of silver, or 0.3617 troy ounces at 31.1035 g each. The copper is not counted.
Sources: Coinage Act of 1873, sections 13 and 15 (17 Stat. 424) (silver coins of nine hundred parts in one thousand; half dollar 12.5 g, quarter and dime one-half and one-fifth of that); Coinage Act of 1965, sections 101 and 204 (Public Law 89-81, 79 Stat. 254) (clad half, quarter and dime specifications; 40% silver half; 900 fine silver coins dated 1964); Public Law 91-607, section 201 (84 Stat. 1768-1769) (clad dollar and half dollar (1.205 inches, 11.34 g); 40% silver dollar 24.592 g with 9.837 g silver); U.S. Mint, Coin Specifications (Wayback copy, page updated October 2, 2024) (diameter, edge and number of reeds of the coins in production today). Mintages for silver half dollars come from the series data on each date page.
| Face value | 90% silver | 40% silver |
|---|---|---|
| $1 face value | $38.01 | $15.54 |
| $10 face value, one roll of 20 | $380.14 | $155.43 |
| $100 face value | $3,801.35 | $1,554.33 |
| $1,000 face value, one bag of 2,000 | $38,013.52 | $15,543.30 |
The table prices the 90% halves and the 40% Kennedy halves side by side. Dealers pay a share of melt, about 80% to 95% for the 90% coins (a Lustre editorial estimate, not a quote); 40% coins are sold by weight too and usually bring less per face dollar. Use the junk silver calculator for mixed coins.
Offers for a 40% Kennedy half rest on its 4.6 g of silver, not the 11.25 g in a 90% half. How dealer offers are set
| Date | Lower grade | Higher grade |
|---|---|---|
| 1921-SWalking Liberty · Key date | $1,100–$1,250 | $37,500–$47,500 |
| 1921-DWalking Liberty · Key date | $1,750–$1,800 | $13,500–$16,000 |
| 1921Walking Liberty · Key date | $1,150–$1,350 | $8,300–$12,500 |
| 1917-S (Obverse mint mark)Walking Liberty · Key date | $450–$650 | $5,500–$7,750 |
| 1917-D (Obverse mint mark)Walking Liberty · Key date | $200–$225 | $1,600–$2,250 |
| 1938-DWalking Liberty · Key date | $120–$125 | $715–$1,000 |
Prices from the PCGS and NGC price guides, checked October 29, 2026. A grade is a wear rating: VF-20 shows wear with clear detail, MS-63 was never circulated, PR is a proof strike. Figures are guide values for slabbed halves and are not offers to buy. “No guide price” means the guides list none. Minted is the number struck.
| Date | Lower grade | Higher grade |
|---|---|---|
| 1949-SFranklin · Scarce · Lustre estimate | $25–$27 | $310–$410 |
| 1949Franklin · Scarce · Lustre estimate | $25–$27 | $280–$380 |
| 1970-DKennedy · Scarce · Lustre estimate | $18–$22 | $32–$38 |
Rows marked Lustre estimate are Lustre editorial estimates, October 2026, not guide prices. These are not offers. Premiums on the scarcer half dollar dates are shown as ranges; common dates stay near their silver value.
| Coin | Silver | Melt now |
|---|---|---|
| 1976-S Bicentennial half dollarSold in collector sets. The 1776–1976 halves found in change are clad. | 40% silver | $7.77 |
| Silver proof halves, 1992 to 2018Made for Silver Proof Sets, not for circulation. | 90% silver | $19.01 |
| Silver proof halves, 2019 to dateSilver Proof Sets use .999 silver from 2019. Silver content is not tabulated here. | .999 silver | — |
Bicentennial and proof halves came in Mint packaging and were never meant for pocket change. Our series data does not list them, so no mintage counts are given. Weights and silver shares are U.S. Mint specifications (U.S. Mint coin specifications and product pages). Most sell for more than their silver.
Dated 1964 or earlier: 90% silver. Dated 1965 to 1970: 40% silver. Dated 1971 or later and found in change: clad.
A 1964 half has no copper stripe. Halves from 1965 to 1970 show a faint copper-colored stripe because of the clad layers.
A 90% half weighs 12.5 g. A 40% Kennedy half weighs 11.5 g.
Walking Liberty (1916 to 1947) and Franklin (1948 to 1963) halves were only made in 90% silver.
For halves, the date separates 90%, 40% and clad. See how to tell if a coin is silver for the weight, sound and magnet checks and their limits.
Walking Liberty Half Dollar1916 to 1947 · 65 issues 
Franklin Half Dollar1948 to 1963 · 35 issues 
Kennedy Half Dollar1964 to 1970 · 8 issues Junk silver calculatorSilver coin melt by type and yearCoin melt calculatorHow to tell if a coin is silverJunk silver explained
Silver quarter valueSilver dime valueSilver dollar valueSilver price today
Half dollars that are silver are worth at least the value of their silver. A 90% silver half dollar (Walking Liberty, Franklin and Kennedy, 1916 to 1964) holds 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver; a 40% silver half dollar (Kennedy, 1965 to 1970) holds 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver. Multiply that by the silver price at the top of this page. Dates and conditions that collectors want are worth more; the key dates table shows examples.
90% silver half dollars hold 0.3617 troy ounces of silver (11.250 grams), from a coin weighing 12.5 grams. 40% silver half dollars hold 0.1479 troy ounces of silver (4.600 grams), from a coin weighing 11.5 grams. The copper in the alloy is not counted.
Walking Liberty (1916 to 1947), Franklin (1948 to 1963) and 1964 Kennedy halves are 90% silver. Kennedy halves from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. Halves dated 1971 or later found in change are clad. The 1976-S Bicentennial half (40% silver) and silver proof halves from 1992 on were sold only in collector sets.
Less than melt value. A shop buying 90% halves pays a share of the silver in them and keeps the rest for price risk and costs; 40% Kennedy halves bring less because they hold only 4.6 g of silver. The share changes with the shop and the week, and the range here is an estimate, not a quote. The quarters page lists what a shop's discount pays for.
Common dates in worn condition sell close to their silver value. Key dates, low-mintage years and coins in high Mint State grades sell for more. For example, the 1921-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar: VF-20 $1,100–$1,250, MS-63 $37,500–$47,500. Those figures come from our series data (PCGS and NGC price guides) and are not offers.
Sources: Walking Liberty half dollar (Wikipedia; composition, weight, diameter, edge, designer, mint mark position); Walking Liberty half dollar mintage (Landofcoins.com; mintage by year and mint); Franklin half dollar (Wikipedia; mintage (business strikes), composition, weight, diameter, edge, designer, mint mark position); Kennedy half dollar (Wikipedia; composition, weight, diameter, edge, designers, mint mark position); Kennedy half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia; mintage (business strikes) and Proof mintage). Silver price: gold-api.com. Grade values are described above. Estimates are dated October 2026 and are not offers.
Walking Liberty1916–1947 · 90% silver
Franklin1948–1963 · 90% silver
Kennedy1964 · 90% silver