1794-1915
The first United States silver half-dollars, the Flowing Hair Type, were minted
from 1794-95. Many different varieties (die and other) exist for these
early half-dollar types.
From 1794 until 1807, the United States minted three different types
of half dollars: Flowing Hair (1794-95), Draped Bust with a Small Eagle
Reverse (1796-97), and Draped Bust with a Heraldic Eagle Reverse (1801-07).
The Capped Bust type, minted between 1807-1839, had a lettered edge
until 1837. Liberty Seated Half-Dollars (1839-1891) and Liberty Head
Half-Dollars (1892-1915), designed by Christian Goebrecht and Charles
Barber respectively, were the last two types of U.S. silver half-dollars
before the Walking
Liberty Silver Half-Dollar.
1916-Present
Struck in most years between 1916 and 1947, Walking Liberty Half-Dollars are considered
by many to be America’s most attractive silver coin. In 1948, the United
States began minting Franklin-Liberty Bell Half-Dollars and continued
to do so until the advent of the
Kennedy
Half-Dollar in 1964. This design continues today, but the coin has
undergone several composition changes. In 1964 only, the Kennedy Half-Dollars
were composed of 90% silver, as were previous issues of silver half-dollars.
The next year, U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1965 which reduced
the amount of silver in our nation's silver coinage to 40% silver. With
an outer composition of 80% silver and 20% copper bonded to a core of
20.9% silver and 79.1% copper, each Kennedy half-dollar from 1965-70
contained 0.1479 ounces of pure silver. In 1971, the metal make-up was
again changed to remove all silver and has remained silver-free since.
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