Half dollar is a United States coin worth 50 cents. The half dollar featuring President John F. Kennedy has been minted since February 1964. It has the presidential seal on the reverse side. This half dollar replaced the Franklin half dollar, which was first issued in 1948. In 1975 and 1976, the government issued special bicentennial half dollars. These coins featured Kennedy on one side and Independence Hall on the other.
The first half dollars were minted in 1794, along with the first silver dollars. Both coins had a portrait or figure of Liberty on one side and an eagle on the reverse.
Until 1965, half dollars contained 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. The Coinage Act of 1965 changed the ratio to 40 percent silver and 60 percent copper. A 1970 act eliminated all silver from the half dollar.
