1966 Half Dollar

Notes: (Click to Enlarge Image)

In 1966 the United States mint would switch to a lower 40% silver content in their Half Dollars, and totally remove the silver in Quarters, and Dimes. These coins were mass produced from the Philadelphia mint, with some coins being produced in San Francisco but only to be released in Special Mint Sets. Special mint sets are listed and rated with a SP prefix and not an MS prefix.

1966 40% Silver Kennedy Half Dollars are pretty popular right now. With the price of silver and the run on commodities. If you want silver half dollars but don't want to spend too much per coin the 1966 Halves may be the way to go. Previous years contained 90% silver, while the 1966 versions only contain 40% making each 1966 version roughly half the price of a pre 66 version. There are no FG (designer initials) versions of this coin worth around 5, 6, even 700 dollars certified. Like other types of coin this year there are no versions minted at the San Fran and / or Denver mints. Errors include die rotations, lamination errors, double dies, off center strikes, and even struck on 1 silver clad 25 cent planchet. The 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar is considered a key date by coin investors and worth remembering.

(Double Die Half Dollar Error)

Mintages

How much is a 1966 Half Dollar worth?

In Average Circulated (AC) condition it's worth around $1, one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $80 at auction. This price does not reference any standard coin grading scale. So when we say Average Circulated, we mean in a similar condition to other coins circulated in 1966, and mint state meaning it is certified MS+ by one of the top coin grading companies. *** [?].

What are your coins really worth?

Use the handy-dandy calculator below to find the real value of any kennedy half dollar in your collection.

Specs & Design

This coin has a total mass of 11.34 g, a diameter of 30.6 mm, and a thickness of 2.15 mm. It's edge is Reeded, and the coins are composed of 1971 - Present 75% copper, 25% nickel, 1965-1970 40% silver 60% copper, 1964 - 90% Silver 10% copper.

Designer: Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro

Front (Obverse): The front or coin obverse contains the profile of John F. Kennedy gazing to the left. The words In GOD We Trust and Liberty are engraved. Mint marks are located to the bottom center of the bust. The date is present as well.

Back (Reverse): Contains a bald eagle grasping 13 arrow in its right claw, and am olive branch also containing 13 olives. A shield protects the eagles chest. 13 stars radiate along lines stemming from the eagles wings. These represent the original 13 colonies. The words United States of America and Half Dollar are present and engraved on the reverse as well.

P, D, S, W mint marks are present on coins. The initials FG stand for Frank Gasparro the designer of the coins reverse.

Yes! Kennedy Half Dollar's produced in 1966 are 40% silver to be precise, and contain .1479 troy oz or 4.600 grams in total of .999 pure silver. Silver weight is measured in troy ounces. Troy ounces weigh about 2 grams more than the standard ounce. CoinTrackers has built a tool that will let you know if your coin is silver or not. The tool is called Is My Coin Silver?.