How Much Is A 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar Worth Today? (All Values + Rare Errors)

I found some old 1966 half dollars while searching bank rolls for silver coins.

One of the great things about old silver half dollars is that they are all worth much more than their face value of 50 cents!

But just how much are these old silver coins really worth?

That all depends on the coin, the date, and the current silver prices.

But I’m here to tell you all 1966 Kennedy half dollars are definitely worth more than 50 cents. Current values start at $3.50 and go up from there!

Here’s how to determine the value of your 1966 half dollar coins…

What You Need To Know About 1966 Kennedy Half Dollars

The 1966 Kennedy half dollar carries an obverse (“heads side”) portrait of President John F. Kennedy — who was assassinated a few years earlier in 1963 during a motorcade procession in Dallas, Texas. The design, by Gilroy Roberts, is paired with a reverse (“tails side”) design by Frank Gasparro showcasing the presidential seal.

While the first Kennedy half dollars struck in 1964 were made from a 90% silver composition, those that came after in the 1960s were produced from a 40% silver clad composition.

What this means is that the overall composition of the 1966 half dollar is 40% silver — but in this case, the clad part means it comes in 3 layers:

• 1 inner core that is 20.9% silver and 79.1% copper
• 2 outer layers (one on each side of the coin) that are 80% silver and 20% copper

Many people think of clad coins as being worth little money in general — because they usually contain only copper, nickel, or other base metals of relatively low value.

But, these silver clad half dollars are totally worth looking for!

Where Is The Mintmark On A 1966 Half Dollar?

If you’re looking for the mintmark on a 1966 half dollar, you better not hold your breath. You’re not going to find one!

That’s right — not only aren’t there any mintmarks on the 1966 half dollars, but there are no mint marks on any United States coins made from 1965 through 1967.

What’s up with that?

It was the U.S. Mint’s way of quelling coin-collecting activity during a nationwide coin shortage that had started in the early ’60s.

Therefore, you can’t tell whether the Philadelphia Mint, Denver Mint, or San Francisco Mint struck any of the U.S. coins you find that are dated from 1965 through 1967. And there are no distinguishing marks to even clue us in as to which mint may have struck any given U.S. coin from that time period.

Even still, you may find other mint letters on your 1966 half dollar that have you curious…

Like, what does the X mark on Kennedy’s neck mean on the 1966 half dollar?

A lot of people have theories about this, often relating to the wounds the ill-fated president suffered when he was assassinated. All this elaborate-looking X on Kennedy’s neck refers to is the stylized initials of designer Gilroy Roberts.

This leads to another common question many people have…

What do the FG letters mean on the 1966 Kennedy half dollar?

Again, these are just designer initials — this time for sculptor-engraver Frank Gasparro. You will find the FG on the lower-right side of the back of the coin between the eagle’s tailfeathers and the right leg of the eagle (from the viewer’s perspective).

How Much Does A 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar Weigh?

The standard weight of a 40% silver 1966 half dollar is 11.5 grams.

That is 1 entire gram less than the 90% silver dollars and only .16 grams heavier than the typical weight of a copper-nickel clad half dollar.

With the relatively minute weight differences between a silver clad and copper-nickel clad half dollar, if you want to see what your 1966 half dollars weigh, you would need to buy a proper coin scale.

Are 1966 Half Dollars Rare?

You don’t too often find 1966 half dollars.

In fact, you don’t find half dollars that often anymore at all! But you certainly won’t be seeing many 1966 half dollars out there in the wild.

This may lead some to believe that all 1966 silver half dollars are rare and valuable. However, the U.S. Mint struck around 110 million 1966 half dollars, so the coin is not rare — at least not in the absolute sense.

Now, I will say this…

All 1966 half dollars in top condition are rare from the standpoint that not many exist in the higher grades. I’ll touch on that below in the section covering 1966 half dollar values.

Any 1966 half dollars with errors or varieties are also scarce, and I’ll be covering those coins below, as well.

But in the overall sense, 1966 half dollars are common, not rare.

All 1966 Half Dollar Values

It’s time to get down to the nitty gritty on what your 1966 silver half dollars are worth.

As we run down the typical values for 1966 half dollars, I want to remind you that many of the prices you’re about to see are highly dependent on the current silver bullion value. That means your 1966 half dollar may be worth more or less than the prices here — depending on what the silver price is per ounce when you read this.

So, to keep things somewhat consistent and easy to follow, I’m going to list 1966 Kennedy half dollar coin values on the basis of silver being $20 per ounce.

1966 Half Dollar Value

There were 108,984,932 business-strike 1966 half dollars made for circulation.

A common coin, the typical worn 1966 Kennedy half dollar is worth around $3.50 to $5.

In uncirculated condition, values for 1966 Kennedy half dollars range from $5 to $7.

1966 SMS Half Dollar Value

Issued for Special Mint Sets, which were packaged by the United States Mint and sold directly to coin collectors, the 1966 SMS half dollars show a stronger strike and more reflective surfaces than a 1966 half dollar made for circulation.

A typical 1966 SMS half dollar has a value of $5 to $8.

Rare 1966 Half Dollar Errors… And Their Values

While there are several kinds of errors known for the 1966 half dollar, including off-center strikes and broadstrikes, two of the most valuable 1966 half dollar errors technically aren’t even errors but rather varieties.

1966 SMS No FG Half Dollar Value

Remember when I was talking about the FG initials on the back of the half dollar near the eagle?

Well, some 1966 half dollars don’t have these letters. The variety occurred on some of the 1966 SMS half dollars.

A typical example of this valuable 1966 error half dollar is worth anywhere from $30 to $50.

Examples of this SMS half dollar error in grades above Mint State-65 or Specimen-65 can go for more than $250.

1966 SMS Doubled Die Obverse Half Dollar Value

Another rare and valuable 1966 SMS half dollar error is the doubled die obverse. This error coin show doubling on the front of the coin and is highly collectible.

The 1966 SMS doubled die half dollar shows strong doubling across many parts of the “head’s side” — including Kennedy’s neck, chin, lips, nostril, eye, and the hair on top of the president’s head.

There is also doubling present at the lower back of the ear and in the initials of Gilroy Roberts.

Doubling is also seen in the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.”

Values for this 1966 doubled die half dollar range from $25 to $50.

Examples grading Mint State-66 or higher easily fetch more than $100.

The Most Valuable 1966 Half Dollar

Can you believe that some 1966 half dollars have sold for thousands of dollars?

It’s true!

In fact, the most valuable 1966 half dollar notched more than $16,000!

A 1966 SMS half dollar graded Mint State-68 Deep Cameo by Professional Coin Grading Service sold for an astounding $16,450 at a 2016 auction.