Sell silver half dollars for top cash in Los Angeles
South Bay Coin buys Walking Liberty, Franklin, and Kennedy silver half dollars across Los Angeles and the South Bay. Walk in for a free date by date evaluation and leave with payment in hand the same visit.
The best place to sell silver half dollars in Los Angeles
If you want to sell silver half dollars in Los Angeles, the buyer matters as much as the silver. South Bay Coin is a licensed, bonded, and insured precious metals dealer at 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale, and we have been buying Walking Liberty, Franklin, and Kennedy halves across the South Bay since 1980. Sellers drive in from Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hawthorne, Inglewood, and every corner of Los Angeles County because the evaluation here happens in the open: your coins are sorted by date on the counter, in front of you, and every group is explained before a number is attached to it.
That transparency matters more with half dollars than with almost any other coin, because the silver in this denomination did not end all at once. A drawer of halves nearly always holds more than one kind of coin, and a buyer who prices the whole batch at a single figure is averaging away someone's money, usually yours. We separate before we offer, and because we refine in house, the offer on the silver itself is not marked down to cover another company's fees.
Half dollars rarely arrive alone. Estates bring them in alongside other gold and silver coins, sterling silver flatware, and jewelry, and one visit covers all of it. Whether you have a single Kennedy from 1964 or several rolls out of a safe deposit box, you can put everything on the counter, watch the sort, and decide with no pressure at all. Walk-ins are welcome six days a week, every appraisal is free, and if you sell, you are paid before you leave.
Our Lawndale showroom
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Sat: 10 AM - 3 PM
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A half dollar's silver ended in three cuts, not one
Most people carry one rule into a coin shop: silver stopped in 1964. For dimes and quarters that rule works. For half dollars it is only the first cut of three, and the second cut is where families lose real money. When silver left the smaller coins, the half dollar kept it at a reduced standard, so every Kennedy half dated 1965 through 1970 is 40 percent silver. Those five years look ordinary, they carry dates that seem too late to matter, and they are spent, deposited, and poured into coin machines every single day by people who checked the date and stopped reading at 1964.
The third cut falls at 1971, when the circulating half dollar finally went to copper-nickel. So the counter sort runs on three date windows. Halves dated 1964 and earlier, whether the design is a Walking Liberty, a Franklin, or a first-year Kennedy, are 90 percent silver, with 0.3617 troy ounces of pure metal in each coin. Halves from 1965 through 1970 form their own 40 percent group. Halves from 1971 onward are set aside, with one caveat worth knowing: the Mint has kept striking silver Kennedys for collectors ever since, and those come out of sets, not out of change.
We run that sort on the counter with you standing there, one window at a time. Nothing is priced as a single undifferentiated batch, nothing leaves your sight, and each window is priced on its own basis before anything is added up. If a coin in the stack deserves more than its silver, the sort is exactly how it gets noticed.
Walking Liberty, Franklin, and Kennedy: three series, one standard
Before 1965, three different portraits shared one identical coin underneath. The Walking Liberty half ran from 1916 to 1947, and its striding Liberty is so admired that the Mint returned the design to the front of the American Silver Eagle decades later. The Franklin half followed from 1948 to 1963, pairing Benjamin Franklin with the Liberty Bell. The Kennedy half arrived in 1964, struck in 90 percent silver for that single year. Different artists, different eras, the same weight and the same alloy, which is why the metal question is settled by the date, not by the face.
The face still matters, just for a different question: whether a particular coin is worth more than its silver. Each series has its own collector market, its own scarce dates and mintmarks, and its own condition standards, work we do coin by coin, not off a chart. A Walking Liberty set, a Franklin album, or a box of Kennedys gets the same treatment as a mixed batch: every coin looked at, anything special priced on its own line.
One honest note about the most common coin in the stack. America saved the 1964 Kennedy on purpose, by the drawerful, the year it appeared, so it survives in enormous numbers and most examples trade on their substantial silver rather than on rarity. And on the other side of 1971, silver Kennedys do still exist: the Bicentennial collector issues and the silver proofs the Mint has sold since 1992 all carry silver, and all of them started life in government sets. If yours did, bring the story with the coin. It helps.
Halves struck before 1916, the Barber design and earlier, are bought as well, and they get a numismatic review as a matter of course, alongside everything else silver you bring in.
Silver half dollars we buy for cash
Every date window, every series, every quantity. From one coin found in a coat pocket to rolls and boxes out of an estate, each half dollar is identified, sorted, and priced on its own merits at our Lawndale counter.
Walking Liberty Halves
The 1916 to 1947 series, in any condition from smooth and worn to uncirculated. Scarce dates and mintmarks are identified and priced above their silver.
Franklin Halves
Every Franklin from 1948 to 1963. All are 90 percent silver, and better dates and sharply struck examples earn more than the metal alone.
Kennedy Halves
The 90 percent 1964 issues and the overlooked 40 percent halves of 1965 through 1970. Bring the whole batch and we will separate them.
Proof & Collector Kennedys
Silver Kennedys from Mint sets, including Bicentennial collector issues and the silver proofs struck since 1992. Sets can come in exactly as they are.
Sell half dollars in three steps
Bring In Your Halves
Walk into our Lawndale showroom at 16916 Hawthorne Blvd, no appointment needed. Or call (310) 363-7808, or text photos of your coins to (310) 363-2697.
Watch The Date Sort
We separate your coins into their date windows on the counter, in front of you, and explain what each group is before making an itemized offer.
Get Paid On The Spot
Accept the offer and be paid before you leave, in cash or by check. Most visits take about 15 minutes. Bring a valid photo ID.
South Bay Coin vs. other half dollar buyers
A batch of half dollars can go to a walk-in counter, a mail-in buyer, a pawn shop, or an online marketplace. The differences below decide how much of your silver's value actually reaches you.
| Feature | South Bay Coin | Mail-In Coin Buyers | Pawn Shops | Online Marketplaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorts 90 percent, 40 percent, and clad in front of you | Yes | No | Sometimes | No |
| Prices each date window on its own basis | Always | Sometimes | Rarely | Varies |
| Checks every coin for collector value beyond silver | Yes | Sometimes | Rarely | No |
| You keep your coins until you accept an offer | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Walk in with no appointment, payment the same visit | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Licensed California precious metals dealer | Yes | Varies | Varies | No |
| No minimum, from one coin to rolls and boxes | Yes | Varies | Yes | Yes |
| No selling fees, commissions, or shipping costs | Yes | Varies | Yes | No |
| Publishes a standing per-coin buy price online | No | Yes | No | No |
| Sends a prepaid insured shipping kit | No | Yes | No | No |
What our customers say
Common questions about selling silver half dollars
Where can I sell silver half dollars in Los Angeles?
South Bay Coin buys silver half dollars at 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale, serving all of Los Angeles County. Walk in Monday through Friday 10 AM to 5 PM or Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM, no appointment needed. Your coins are sorted, evaluated, and paid for in a single visit.
Which half dollars are silver?
Every United States half dollar dated 1964 or earlier is 90 percent silver, including Walking Liberty, Franklin, and 1964 Kennedy halves. Kennedy halves dated 1965 through 1970 are 40 percent silver. Halves dated 1971 and later are copper-nickel, except for the silver collector issues the Mint has sold in sets ever since.
Are Kennedy half dollars from 1965 to 1970 worth anything?
Yes. These are the most commonly overlooked silver coins in America. Because most people treat 1964 as the end of silver, 40 percent halves get spent or deposited as ordinary change every day. Each one holds real silver, and we sort and price them as their own group.
How much silver is in a silver half dollar?
A 90 percent half dollar (1964 and earlier) contains 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver, more than a silver dime and a silver quarter combined. A 40 percent Kennedy half from 1965 through 1970 contains 0.1479 troy ounces. The date on the coin tells you which figure applies to your silver half dollars.
Do you buy Walking Liberty and Franklin half dollars?
Yes, in any condition and any quantity, from a single coin to inherited rolls and albums. Both series are 90 percent silver, so every coin has a solid silver value, and coins with collector demand for a particular date, mintmark, or condition are priced above their silver content.
Is my 1964 Kennedy half dollar rare?
Usually not, and the reason is simple: America saved them on purpose. The 1964 Kennedy was hoarded the year it appeared, so hundreds of millions survive. Most trade on their strong silver content. Proofs, special strikes, and top-condition examples can bring more, so we still check every coin.
Are Bicentennial 1776-1976 half dollars silver?
Most are not. Bicentennial halves struck for circulation are copper-nickel. The Mint also sold 40 percent silver versions with an S mintmark in special collector sets, and those do carry silver. If yours came from a Mint collector set rather than pocket change, bring it in and we will confirm which version you have.
How do you price silver half dollars?
The date sorts your coins into their silver groups first, 90 percent through 1964 and 40 percent from 1965 through 1970, each priced on the live silver market. Then we review the coins themselves, because dates, mintmarks, and condition with collector demand earn more than the metal alone. Everything is itemized.
Do I need to sort or roll my half dollars before selling?
No. Bring them exactly as they are, loose, rolled, or mixed with other coins. The date sort happens at our counter while you watch, with each group set out where you can see it. There is no minimum, no charge for the evaluation, and no obligation to sell.
Should I clean tarnished silver half dollars before selling them?
No. Tarnish does not reduce the silver inside the coin, and cleaning cannot add any. On coins with collector appeal, polishing removes original surfaces and can cost you the premium. Bring your half dollars exactly as you found them, tarnish and all, and let the evaluation do the work.
Ready to sell your silver half dollars?
Bring in one coin or the whole box. Free evaluation, the sort done in front of you, and payment in hand before you leave our Lawndale counter.
