What Are 1964 Silver Kennedy Half Dollars Worth? A Complete Guide To 1964 Half Dollar Values

All 1964 Kennedy silver half dollars are worth more than face value — but just how much?

The answer isn’t so simple, and the story behind this popular coin isn’t so happy.

But I’m going to share with you all you need to know about 1964 half dollar values and why this particular coin has been treasured by generations of Americans.

What Makes A 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar Worth A Lot Of Money?

The easiest answer behind what makes 1964 Kennedy half dollars worth more than face value is they are 90% silver.

But if you really want to get to the bottom of what makes the 1964 half dollar such a valuable and historically important coin, you need to know the whole story behind it…

You see, the 1964 Kennedy half dollar wasn’t even on the radar screen for most of 1963. At the time, the Franklin half dollar had been rolling along since 1948 and was in its 16th year of production. It wasn’t expected to see a change until at least 1973 — when the coin turned 25 years old.

The way U.S. coins seem to go, often keeping the same design for many decades, it’s plausible the Franklin half dollar would’ve still been in production into the 1980s, 1990s, or maybe even into the 21st century. After all, Benjamin Franklin remains one of the least-controversial and most-popular of America’s Founding Fathers — even to this very day.

Sadly, the Franklin half dollar came to a presumably premature end because President John F. Kennedy, elected in 1960 at the age of 43, met a most tragic and unexpected fate. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated during a motorcade procession in Dallas, Texas. The nation was in mourning over the loss of the young president. Within days of his passing, there was a movement on Capitol Hill to honor the fallen president on a circulating coin.

The decision was made to place Kennedy’s portrait on the half dollar — a move that took an act of Congress to enact.

Why?

Because U.S. law since the 19th century requires any proposals to change the design of a coin that has been in production for fewer than 25 years must be approved by lawmakers. Congress overwhelmingly approved the coin, which had full endorsement by President Lyndon Johnson — and within weeks the first Kennedy half dollars were struck by the United States Mint.

People lined up at banks, grocery stores, and just about anywhere else where they could get their hands on the newly released Kennedy half dollars in the spring of 1964. Many saw the new coin as a silver memento to the nation’s beloved fallen president, and kept whatever 1964 Kennedy half dollars they could get their hands on. This, along with an ongoing run on other circulating silver coins due to rising bullion prices, contributed to a major nationwide coin shortage.

But it also had the unintended effect of removing Kennedy half dollars from circulation. The perception was that the Kennedy half dollar was a special coin and should be saved.

This continued for a long time, even after all silver was removed from the Kennedy half dollar in the early 1970s.

Today, half dollars are still being struck but hardly circulate. It all traces back to the hoarding of Kennedy half dollars in the 1960s and ’70s — leading the denomination to become virtually non-existent in circulation today.

But does this make all Kennedy half dollars valuable?

Not necessarily… All of the copper-nickel pieces made since the 1970s are worth only face value if circulated and absent of errors or varieties.

But the 1964 Kennedy half dollar? That’s a different story…

All 1964 Kennedy half dollars are valuable! And I’m going to tell you just how valuable these old half dollars are next.

All 1964 Half Dollar Values

There’s not just a single value for the 1964 half dollar — because many kinds of Kennedy half dollars were struck during their first year of production.

Here’s a rundown of what each type of 1964 Kennedy half dollar is worth:

• 1964 Kennedy half dollar — $15+*
• 1964-D Kennedy half dollar — $15+*
• 1964 proof Kennedy half dollar — $25+*
• 1964 Accented Hair proof Kennedy half dollar — $40+
• 1964-D doubled die obverse Kennedy half dollar — $50+
• 1964-D quadrupled die obverse Kennedy half dollar — $70+
• 1964-D/D repunched mintmark Kennedy half dollar — $30+
• 1964 SMS Kennedy half dollar — $20,000+

*The value of 1964 half dollars with an asterisk tends to fluctuate based on the price of silver. The listed values are for when silver is around $20 per ounce.

How To Identify “Accented Hair” & “Quadrupled Die” 1964 Half Dollars

To confirm that you have a genuine 1964 Accented Hair proof Kennedy half dollar (the original proof design that was critiqued by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy), use a 10x magnifier to check for these 3 features:

1. The Hair — Look at the small cluster of strands directly above and slightly behind Kennedy’s ear. The hair strands here will look deeply engraved, heavily textured, and form a sharp “V” shape rather than the uniform pattern found on standard proofs.
2. The “I” in “LIBERTY” — Look closely at the letter “I” in the word “LIBERTY” on the obverse. A genuine Accented Hair variety is physically missing the lower-left serif of the font block.
3. The “G” on the Reverse — Flip the coin over and check the tiny “FG” designer initials belonging to Frank Gasparro under the eagle’s right leg. On this rare variety, the letter “G” is completely missing its normal horizontal crossbar serif.

To confirm that your 1964-D Quadrupled Die Obverse (QDO) Kennedy Half Dollar is the real deal, use a 10x coin loupe to examine the following:

1. Check the “U” in “TRUST” — This is the single most definitive marker of this rare variety. Looking straight at the letter “U” in the obverse motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” you will see unmistakable extra structural thickness AND distinct, multiple extra vertical legs/serif lines steps. (It will look heavily modified compared to a normal, clean strike AND it will have a much thicker, blockier profile.)

2. Check the Rest of the Motto’s Letters — The hub misalignments resulted in extra thickness and light spreading across adjacent letter structures in the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST”. Specifically, the letter “T” on both ends of the word “TRUST”, the “I” and “N” in the word “IN”, and the “E” in the word “WE”. A genuine quadrupled die shows multiple notched corners or overlapping layered lines at the serif tips of these letters.

3. Check for a “D” Mintmark on the Reverse Side — Flip the coin over and look for the “D” mintmark directly below the olive branch held in the eagle’s left claw. If there is no mintmark, it was minted in Philadelphia and cannot be this specific Denver variety.

4. Rule out Machine Doubling — Common mechanical machine doubling can look very similar to this variety. If the doubling looks flat, shelf-like, or shiny (like a knife sliced the side of the letter off) that’s machine doubling, which happens when the loose coin press shimmies during the strike. This adds zero premium value to the coin. A genuine quadrupled die will show distinct, rounded, raised extra metal contours with clear separation lines or notches.

5. Determine the Condition of the Coin — Because it’s a 90% silver coin, a heavily worn or damaged 1964-D Kennedy half dollar is mostly valued for its silver melt weight (approximately $15 depending on the current spot value). For the $70+ premium, the coin needs to be in uncirculated (Mint State) condition with full luster and minimal distracting surface marks.

About That Most Valuable 1964 SMS Kennedy Half Dollar…

Let’s not nonchalantly breeze right by that last 1964 half dollar value in the list above. I know you saw it.

Yes, there is a type of 1964 Kennedy half dollar worth at least $20,000. In fact, some have sold for even way more than that!

So, what’s the story behind that rare and valuable 1964 half dollar? And how would you know if you had one?

The 1964 SMS Kennedy half dollar is an extraordinary kind of coin — because it was produced as a special strike and made in very small quantities. It wasn’t even known to exist until the early 1990s, and only a dozen or so are around. They seem to have been produced for special presentation purposes, and at least some originated from the estate of a former mint director.

Those 1964 SMS half dollars have a unique appearance — with a remarkably sharp strike, satiny surfaces, squared-off rims. The coins also show die-polishing marks.

You’ll probably never find a 1964 SMS half dollar in circulation. But, if you’re looking for one, keep an eye out for a unique characteristic under the crosslet of the “4” in the date. There’s a tiny defect there that has been noted on the vast majority of the 1964 SMS Kennedy half dollars.

Of course, it’s an extremely rare coin to begin with. And it’s an even rarer chance still that you could land one in circulation.

But the 1964 SMS half dollar is worth knowing about and looking for. The most valuable 1964 SMS half dollar sold for a whopping $156,000 in a 2019 auction!

Do you have a 1964 Kennedy half dollar? Think there may be something unique about it? Post a picture of your coin in the comments below and I’ll try to help!