what year was the last silver kennedy half dollar

[StLucy]

Well, isn't that the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question... or in this case, the fifty-cent one! The answer, like a good coin, has two sides to it, depending on how much silver you're looking for.

If you're talking about the original, heavyweight champion—the 90% silver Kennedy half dollar—then your magic year is 1964. It was the one and only year these coins were minted with that high silver content for general circulation. They were a flash in the pan, a one-hit wonder of the silver coin world.

However, the U.S. Mint wasn't quite ready to break up with silver just yet. They transitioned to a coin with a 40% silver content from 1965 through 1970. So, the last year a Kennedy half dollar meant for circulation contained any silver at all was 1970. After that, silver made its grand exit from the half dollar, leaving us with the copper-nickel clad versions you're more likely to find in your couch cushions today.