The terminal date for United States circulating half-dollar cash composed of 90% silver occurred in 1964. These cash, primarily the Kennedy half-dollar launched mid-year, represented the final challenge of this denomination with such a excessive silver content material supposed for basic circulation.
The discontinuation of silver in circulating coinage displays a major shift in financial coverage pushed by growing silver costs. The intrinsic worth of the silver content material in these cash started to exceed their face worth, incentivizing melting and hoarding. The removing of silver aimed to stabilize the coinage system and stop the disappearance of foreign money from circulation.