Quote:
Today I called APMEX and Money Metals to determine what they will pay for $80 face value of 40% silver Kennedy half dollars.... The discount (26%) is larger than I anticipated: i.e., they are offering $8.35 for a coin with a melt value of $11.20.
Today I called APMEX and Money Metals to determine what they will pay for $80 face value of 40% silver Kennedy half dollars.... The discount (26%) is larger than I anticipated: i.e., they are offering $8.35 for a coin with a melt value of $11.20.
I'm not surprised. Even 90% US silver is going under melt these days. 20% under is normal as discussed earlier in this thread.
Plus, those 40% Kennedys aren't really "silver", they're billon. Yah, they have silver, but it's relatively low so they're difficult and expensive to smelt. Thus, they're less desirable and carry a steeper discount especially to a bulk dealer. Same with WWII Nickels and lots of world coins like 20th century Scandinavian and Mexican coins.
Having said that, those rolls and bags of 40% Kennedys rarely end up in a smelter, they just trade back and forth like 90% silver. The steep discount with 40% is just a hedge in case the coins ever do get smelted.
Edited by jeffbuckes
06/05/2026 5:59 pm
06/05/2026 5:59 pm






















