Kennedy half (clad) melt value

One coin holds 10.395 g of copper and 0.945 g of nickel. At today’s Kitco bids (copper $6.5215/lb, nickel $7.5031/lb), melt is $0.1651. Not silver. Collector pieces are usually worth more as coins than as scrap.

What this coin is

The Kennedy half (clad) is a copper coin of the United States struck 1971–date. This page is for the type × composition — every date and mint of this issue has the same metal if the weight and fineness match the spec below. Melt is that metal times today’s spot, not a collector or dealer bid.

What is written on the coin

Read the denomination, the date, and the country name on the coin. People often search the words actually stamped on the piece (for example DOS PESOS or VEINTE PESOS on Mexican gold). Those words are indexed on this site.

Metal content (the melt spec)

Mint specification: 11.3400 grams at 91.67% copper, which is 10.395 g / 0.02292 lb of copper (ACW). Copper is priced per pound. Formula: grams × fineness ÷ 453.59237 × copper $/lb. Date and mintmark do not change that number. Melt today is $0.1651 per coin at $6.5215/lb copper.

Mintage

Mintage varies by date. We do not publish a year-by-year mintage table here because melt is the same for this composition. A scarce date or a high grade can be worth more than melt; a common worn piece is often near melt.

A little history

This type belongs to the 1971–date period in the United States. Use the date on the coin to confirm you have this composition, not a later clad or debased issue of the same design.

How to tell you have this type

Match denomination, metal color, and date range. If two compositions share a design (for example 90% vs clad), the date or the edge (solid silver vs copper stripe) decides which page to use.

Date and mintmark do not change the metal on this page. Collector value is a different market — a shop looks at date, mint, and condition. Melt is the floor.

Same design, different metal: Kennedy half (90%). Use the page that matches what you actually have.

Year that changed the metal: 1971 Kennedy half — not silver

Copper is a base metal, quoted in dollars per pound (Kitco), not per troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at that bid. Collector cents are usually worth more as coins than as scrap. Zinc cents from 1982-on have almost no copper.

Shop-counter notes (not a second melt formula): Kennedy halves: 90% / 40% / clad.

Copper + nickel melt

Clad dimes, quarters, and halves from 1965-on (halves 1971-on) are copper with a cupro-nickel skin. No silver. Melt is the copper plus a little nickel. 1964 and earlier dimes and quarters are 90% silver.

Melt is the metal floor. A shop looks at date, mint, and condition. We list 401 types and ~10,200 melt values.

Quick amounts

Using $6.5215/lb copper.

You have	Pure oz	Melt
1 coin	0.3342	$0.1651
10 coins	3.3422	$1.65
1 roll (20 coins)	6.6844	$3.30

Questions people ask

How much copper is in a Kennedy half (clad)?

Mint spec is 11.340 grams at 91.67% copper, which is 10.395 g / 0.02292 lb of copper. Copper is priced per pound, not per troy ounce. Date and mintmark do not change that.

What is a Kennedy half (clad) worth in melt today?

At copper spot of $6.5215/lb, one coin’s melt is $0.1651. Multiply by how many you have. A collector copper is usually worth more as a coin than as scrap.

How many Kennedy half (clad)s equal one pound of copper?

About 43.63 coins equal 1.00 lb of copper at mint weight.

Does mintmark change the melt value?

No. A Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco coin of this type has the same metal. Melt is type × composition, not date or mintmark.

Is melt what I should sell this Kennedy half (clad) for?

Melt here is copper plus nickel at Kitco’s bids per pound. Not silver. Collector examples are usually worth more as coins than as scrap. Clad dimes, quarters, and halves from 1965-on (halves 1971-on) are copper with a cupro-nickel skin. No silver. Melt is the copper plus a little nickel. 1964 and earlier dimes and quarters are 90% silver.

Is every half dollar silver?

No. See also the Kennedy half (90%) — same look, different metal. Melt only applies to the composition on this page.