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I'm not a coin collector, but my father did. I just found out that I have several hundred dollars worth of silver coins. Read this if you are one of the many who collected Kennedy half dollars. Most of our young folks don't even know there was a half dollar coin.

By the early 1960s the rising price of silver was nearing the point where the bullion value of United States silver coins would exceed face value. In 1965, the U.S. introduced layered composition coins made of a copper core laminated between two cupro-nickel outer faces. The silver content of dimes and quarters was totally eliminated, but the Kennedy half dollar composition still contained silver (reduced from 90 to 40 percent) from 1965 to 1970.
The 1964 Kennedy halves were massively saved out of circulation for sentimental reasons. Those issued through the end of the 1960s were hoarded as the only precious metal U.S. coins remaining in production, and as the price of silver continued to rise pre-1964 halves disappeared from circulation as well. By the time that the coin's composition was changed to match that of the clad dimes and quarters in 1971, both businesses and the public had adapted to a country in which the half dollar did not generally circulate. The quarter took over the half's role as the highest-value component of change.
The bottom line here is that every silver coin until 1964 was 90% silver. The half dollar coin weighs .365 Troy ounces. At Monday’s closing Silver closed at $38.31 per Troy ounce. So if you have any of these don’t spend them. Three of these coins spent will get you $1.50. The silver value would be over $35.

Do you remember the joke that went around when the Kennedy half dollar was minted that 64 Kennedy half dollars were worth $32. That was if you had 64 of them. But now with the skyrocketing price of silver the many, many people who saved these probably have no idea of their worth.

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the 1 troy oz denomination which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of .999 pure silver. It is authorized by the United States Congress and its weight and content is certified by the United States Mint.

The design on the obverse was taken from the classic "Walking Liberty" design by Adolph A. Weinman, which had originally been used on the half-dollar coin of the United States from 1916 to 1947. As this iconic design had been a public favorite –and indeed one most beloved designs of any United States coinage of modern times, silver or otherwise– it was revived for the Silver Eagle decades later. The reverse portrays a heraldic eagle designed by John Mercanti.

Mintages, and thus prices, of uncirculated and proof specimens have varied widely, and the potential collector is advised to check a standard reference book before buying them. Generally the business strikes have minted in the millions, while the proofs were issued in the hundreds of thousands. Thus, most dates are not particularly expensive ($15-$20 each), although some of the early 1990s proofs sell for over $100. Also, the special 1995W issue (30,125 sold) is worth several thousand dollars.