If you are wondering about half dollar coin value and the most valuable half dollar coins of all time, we have what you are looking for.
Not too long ago, you could find a half dollar coin almost anywhere you looked.
Half-dollar coins bearing John F. Kennedy’s profile are still produced by the U.S. Mint, but in very small batches and pretty much exclusively for collectors and numismatics.
But they were popular American coins throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with millions minted in 1971, the most of any single year.
Collecting Half Dollar Coins
Before the Kennedy half dollar coin, there was the Franklin half dollar, the Walking Liberty, the Barber half dollar, and the Seated Liberty.
And even before that, it was the Capped Bust, the amazing Draped Bust half dollar, and the Flowing Hair half dollar.
Wise collectors own a half dollar coin set, so if you consider yourself a true numismatic, keep reading.
The Kennedy Half-Dollar
After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, Congress authorized a new half-dollar bearing the JFK profile on one side and the Presidential Seal on the reverse.
The design of the Kennedy bust was completed by Gilroy Roberts.
He was an American sculptor and served as the ninth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1948 to 1964.
On the reverse, Frank Gasparro designed the intricate details of the Presidental Seal, including the words, “E Pluribus Unum,” Latin for, “out of many, one.”
The 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar
One of the most important things to remember on your hunt for Kennedy half-dollar coins is that 1964 was the only year they were minted with 90% silver, or .36169 ounces.
Beginning in 1965, the Kennedy halves were minted using only 40% silver, just .1479 ounces.
Collectors aggressively hoarded the original President Kennedy half dollar coin, both for commemorative reasons and the silver content.
The price of silver was going up at the time, and some collectors even melted down the Kennedy dollars to harvest the silver.
As a result, the coin wasn’t as widely circulated as earlier half-dollars.
1971 Kennedy Half Dollar
In 1971, the US Mint eliminated silver from the Kennedy half dollar, and ramped up production. Over 155 million 1971 Kennedy half-dollar coins were minted.
Minted from 75% copper and 25% nickel for the first time in 1971, the Kennedy coin was not heavily circulated.
The New Kennedy Half Dollar
In 2014, a new Kennedy half-dollar — 99.99% pure gold — was produced at the Philadelphia Mint to commemorate the coin’s 50th anniversary. Only 73,772 were made.
Recently, the U.S. Mint and Federal Reserve announced minting Kennedy half-dollar coins for general circulation for the first time in 20 years.
What is the Value of a 1971 Kennedy Half Dollar?
Values range from .50 cents to $65 for ungraded, circulated 1971 Kennedy half dollars.
For graded coins, PCGS reports an auction record of $13,000 for an MS68-D Kennedy half-dollar for an eBay sale in 2018.
The Flowing Hair Half-Dollar Coin
The very first half-dollar coin was produced in December 1794 in a batch of 5,300 coins.
Known as the “Flowing Hair” half-dollar coin, the piece featured a relief of an anonymous woman with long locks of hair on the obverse side and one of the Heraldic Eagle on the reverse.
Flowing Hair Half Dollar Design
The word “Liberty” and twin arcs of stars appeared on the woman’s side, and “United States of America” and some apparent olive branches framed the bird’s side.
The Flowing Hair design was used on every U.S. coin at the time, including half-dimes and dollar coins.
Moneychangers identified the specific currency by its size since that corresponded to its silver content.
The Flowing Hair half-dollar coin was made from 89% silver and 11% copper.
The Draped Bust and Capped Bust Half-Dollar Coins
For reasons unknown, we blame the mutated eagle swan, almost everybody in the country hated the Flowing Hair coin.
Congress decreed a new design in 1796 called the “Draped Bust.” This also featured a relief of the long-haired woman with a somewhat sharper definition.
The first 1797 Draped Bust mintage kept the scrawny bird from the Flowing Hair coin. However, in the second run from 1801-1807, the Eagle got a potent redesign.
The new design was a replication of the Great Seal of the United States.
The eagle’s entire wing spread, claws clutching a handful of arrows, positioned behind a shield and a banner reading “E Pluribus Unum.”
A variation on the design, the “Capped Bust,” was minted concurrently with the Draped Bust and continued being minted until 1836.
The profile of the American woman — “Lady Liberty” at this point — was reversed, and she sported a headband with the word “Liberty” engraved upon it.
The eagle side was also redesigned with the bird in a more angled position.
All Bust mints had the same 89% silver content as the Flowing Hairpiece. As with the Flowing Hair coins, the same design was used for all coin denominations at the time.
However, the 50-cent pieces also had the lettering “FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR” along the edge.
Additionally, lettering on the base of the Capped Bust coins on the reverse side reads either “HALF DOLLAR” or “50 C.”
The Seated Liberty, Walking Liberty, and Barber Half-Dollars
In 1839, the “Seated Liberty” half-dollar coin put Lady Liberty in a sitting pose on the Obverse, holding a flag and surrounded by 12 stars.
The reverse was a slight variation of the eagle from the Capped Bust coins.
The old Liberty Seated half dollars were minted until 1891, with occasional minor changes in the design.
In 1916, the U.S. Mint produced a new half-dollar coin on which Lady Liberty got out of her chair.
Designed by Adolph Weinman, the Walking Liberty half dollars were eventually used for American Eagle’s one-ounce silver bullion coin.
Walking Liberty Half Dollar Coin
The eagle on the reverse side was also completely redone, taking up about 80% of the coin’s surface shown in a starker profile.
It’s by far the brawniest eagle any U.S. half-dollar ever had before or since.
Walking Liberty coin varieties in top-grade or high-grade condition could be valued at more than $30,000.
Between the Liberty variations was a half-dollar coin designed by U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber.
These pieces were reinterpretations of the Bust series, with Liberty’s modified headshot on the obverse and the Great Seal on the reverse.
The Barber half dollars were minted between 1892 and 1915.
All half-dollar coinage from dates 1839 through 1965 had a silver-to-copper composition ratio of 90% to 10%.
The Franklin Half Dollars
The most drastic revamping of the 50-cent piece came in 1948.
Designed by John R. Sinnock, the new coins featured a relief portrait of founding father Benjamin Franklin with the “In God We Trust” slogan on one side and the cracked Liberty Bell on the reverse.
The eagle, whose appearance on 50-cent pieces was a legal requirement, was much smaller and positioned to the right of the Bell.
The Franklin Mint half dollars stirred up some controversy upon their release in 1948.
Hyper-aware patriots believed the barely detectable etching “JRS” on Franklin’s shoulder was a secret tribute to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
In actuality, they were designer Sinnock’s initials serving as a kind of artist’s signature. The argument didn’t hold up, as Stalin’s middle name was Vissarionovich.
The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge Half Dollar
When the Bay Bridge in San Francisco opened in 1936, a commemorative coin was authorized by Congress and passed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Jacques Schnier designed a half-dollar coin with the symbol of California, a grizzly bear on one side, and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on the other.
A total mintage of just over 100,000 Bay Bridge half dollars was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1936.
Although Congress authorized 200,000 Bay Bridge half dollars to be coined, the total circulating coinage turned out to be only half that number.
Over time, collectors began to realize the value of the rare Bay Bridge half-dollar series, and by 1980, each Bay Bridge half-dollar was worth several hundred dollars.
Years later, an exceptional example of the coin sold for more than $20,000.
1776 to 1976 Half Dollar Value
The 200th anniversary of the United States brought about a special Kennedy half dollar. The 1776 to 1976 half-dollar coin.
The Treasury Department held a competition for the design of the coin, open to all U.S. citizens.
There were 884 entries, and a group of five judges selected the winning designs.
Seth G. Huntington was the winner of the Bicentennial Kennedy half-dollar design.
Huntington, who had never worked for the U.S. Mint, submitted a design for the reverse of the coin to feature Independence Hall in Philidelphia.
For the next year and a half, over 500 million 1776 to 1976 half-dollar Bicentennial Kennedy coins were struck in the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints.
How Much is a 1976 Bicentennial Half Dollar Worth?
1776 to 1976 half dollar value in average circulated condition is only worth face value, or $0.50. But in uncirculated condition, the coins are worth much more money.
Uncirculated examples of the 1776 to 1976 half-dollar range between $4 and $5. Values are close to the same for coins with no mint mark, and coins from the Denver Mint. (D mint mark)
Coin values for the 1776 to 1976 “S” half dollar Proof set are about $40. Why is the “S” Bicentennial half dollar worth more than all the others? One word – Silver.
Does the 1776 to 1976 Half Dollar Have Silver?
Even though U.S. Mints produced a mind-blowing 500 million 1776 to 1976 half dollars for the Bicentennial tribute, there’s one coin to search for among the 500 million.
1776 to 1976 Bicentennial half dollars struck at the San Francisco Mint (“S” mint mark) were made with 40% silver.
These silver coins were sold directly to collectors, and are now valued at around $5 each, compared to just face value for other mint mark coins.
Top 10 Most Valuable Half-Dollar Coins of All Time
Half-dollar coins don’t possess quite as much romance for collectors as, say, silver dollars. But as you might expect, it’s the older mints that have the most worth on the collectibles market.
According to USA Coin Book, the most valuable half-dollar coin is a 1797 Draped Bust minted in Philadelphia, with 15 stars surrounding Lady Liberty on the obverse.
Such a coin in merely “good” condition can be worth more than $37,000, while one in “extremely fine” condition is valued at over $188,000.
Uncirculated Half Dollar Coins
If the coin is designated as uncirculated — “mint state” (MS) — its value explodes to almost ridiculous proportions.
In the case of the 1797 Draped Bust, an uncirculated coin with a quality designation of MS-60 can fetch over $530,000, and one with a higher ranking of MS-63 is worth over $1,600,000.
The designation of the most valuable mint mark can be tricky to figure out, at least online.
CoinTrackers identifies the 1838-O Capped Bust half-dollar as the most valuable, quoting a mint-state price of $750,000.
The “O” indicates the coin was stamped at the New Orleans mint; all other half-dollar coins were minted in Philadelphia.
The site lists the above-referenced 1797 Draped Bust half-dollar as only the third most valuable at around $500,000.
Other half-dollar mints on the higher end of the value scale include the 1853-O Seated Liberty, the 1796 Draped Bust, and 1839 Capped Bust.
Factors to Determine Half-Dollar Coin Value
Conditions that affect the value of a half-dollar coin on the collectibles market aren’t much different from other denominations. The most obvious is the physical condition and rarities of the coin.
In that regard, uncirculated mint state coins are pursued the most. Gradations between mint coins reflect the appearance or lack of scuffs on the surface.
An MS-70 coin practically gleams like a star; one ranked at MS-60 might be less luminescent.
With circulated half-dollars, those with clear lettering, imagery, and virtually no wear and tear — crisp detail on the eagle wings, sharp representation of the words — are inherently more valuable.
What is the Rarest Kennedy Half Dollar?
If you’re wondering what the value of a 1964 Kennedy half dollar coin would be, look no further than a recent Heritage Auctions sale.
One of a dozen special issue 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar coins sold for $108,000, a new record for any 1964 Kennedy coin.
The pristine coin was a special mint set coin, not intended for business strikes or general circulation.
The special mint set is known for its great strike quality and pristine press.
It’s a coin with 90% precious metals (silver) and could be one of the most difficult pieces for half-dollar hunters looking to complete collections of the rare set for their display cases.
The scale goes all the way down to coins with smoothed-out features, but as long as one can still see the date clearly, it’s considered to be in good condition.
Heavily damaged or smoothed-out coins that aren’t recognizable carry little or no worth.
Half Dollar Coin Details
Differing design details between different mints also affect half-dollar coins’ value.
For example, the 1853-0 Seated Liberty coins described above — only four of which are known to exist — lacked certain design features that other mints had.
The 1796 Draped Bust half-dollar was minted with either 15 or 16 stars on the Obverse; the ones with 16 are the more valuable coins.
Anything from the absence of eagle arrows to the serif on one of the numbers in the date can make a difference in coin value.
As with stamps, errors on the coin can make it extraordinarily valuable, though only the most meticulous coin experts are likely to detect some of the flaws.
Since silver content was reduced in 1965 and completely removed in 1971, half-dollars minted before 1964 are far more valuable than later versions.
The “melt value,” or intrinsic value, of silver in half-dollars is still much more than the 50-cent face value it denotes, depending on current silver prices.
How to Find Rare Half-Dollar Coins
Fifty-cent pieces are technically still good as currency, of course. You’re likely to come across a half-dollar coin in general circulation at least once every few years.
- Visit a Dealer, Auction House, or Coin Club
- Visit a Website That Sells Coins
- Talk with Older Relatives or Friends
Exchange Your Bills for 50-Cent Coin Rolls at the Bank
A large bank may have enough 50-cent coins to warrant their own rolls, and some of them may have one of the rarer Kennedy silver half-dollars.
You might find a few mint sets of American half-dollar U.S. coins.
We’re Not Finished With the Value of a Half Dollar –
Now We Know That –
- There have been eight different half-dollar designs in the past 200-plus years of U.S. coinage history.
- U.S. Congress authorized the new John F. Kennedy half-dollar quickly after his assassination in November of 1963.
- A key date for the Kennedy Half-Dollar included 1964, the only year the coin was minted in 90% silver.
- The most valuable half-dollar to ever sell at auction was the 1797 Draped Bust Half Dollar for $1,680,000.
But There’s Much More to the Amazing Half-Dollar Coin –
- Half-dollars were heavily circulated coins in the 1960s and 1970s. But since 2002, the coins have mostly been minted for collectors only.
- The New Orleans mint struck half-dollar coins for three separate governments in 1861. The U.S. government, the State of Louisiana when it seceded from the Union, and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- The first year of the half-dollar was 1794. The Flowing Hair design was used for the first two years of the coin, matching the design of the dollar coins and half-dime coins.
- Millions of Kennedy half-dollar coins are struck each year for circulation, but hardly any are seen in daily business coinage. Where are all the modern Kennedy half coins?
- Half-dollars with two dates stamped are commemorative coins, including the Bicentennial coin struck in 1975 and 1976.
More Reading on Rare Coins –
- I want to sell my valuable rare coins online, help!
- How much are my rare coins worth? Here’s a simple guide.
- How many different types of U.S. coins exist, and what are they?
Additional Resources –
Active Interest Media’s NumisMaster – NGC
Find Your Very Own Used Coins – eBay