Ah, a fantastic question for anyone looking to turn their couch cushion finds into a bona fide treasure hoard. How much silver is hiding in that paper-wrapped tube of half dollars? The answer, my friend, depends entirely on which half dollars you're lucky enough to have. It's all about the date.
First, let's talk about the good stuff, the crème de la crème of constitutional silver. If you have a roll of half dollars dated 1964 or earlier (think Franklin, Walking Liberty, or Barber halves), you've hit the 90% silver jackpot. A standard roll contains 20 of these coins, for a face value of $10. According to the provided data, each of these silver beauties contains 0.36169 troy ounces of the precious white metal. A little quick math (20 x 0.36169) reveals that a full roll contains a rather hefty 7.23 troy ounces of pure silver. Not bad for a little paper tube!
But wait, there's a sequel! After 1964, the U.S. Mint got a bit stingier. From 1965 to 1970, Kennedy half dollars were made with a 40% silver composition. Think of them as the "diet silver" version. A roll of these still has 20 coins, but each one contains only 0.1479 troy ounces of silver. This brings your total for the roll down to about 2.96 troy ounces. It's not as thrilling as the 90% roll, but hey, silver is silver.
So, before you start dreaming of your new silver-funded yacht, be sure to check those dates. Anything after 1970 is just a handsome-looking piece of copper and nickel, worth exactly fifty cents and not much more, unless you find a particularly friendly vending machine.
