1978 Kennedy Half Dollar

The 1978 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) marked the lowest circulation mintages for the series to date, with the exception of the 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar, which was only struck for inclusion within mint sets. The Philadelphia and Denver Mints struck 14,350,000 and 13,765,799 coins, respectively. Both issues remain relatively available through the 1978 Mint Set, which provides a constant supply of mint state examples for collectors willing to break up the sets.

1978 Kennedy Half Dollar
1978 Kennedy Half Dollar

Noted for this year is the 1978-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar, which can be found with an exceptionally deep frosted cameo appearance. Much more so than in previous years, the Proof coins carry a black and white deep cameo appearance. Examining numerous Proof Sets can yield some stunning examples.

1978 Kennedy Half Dollar Specifications:

  • Denomination: $0.50
  • Composition: 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel
  • Weight: 11.34 grams
  • Diameter: 30.61 mm
  • Edge: reeded
  • Mint Mark: none (Philadelphia), “D” (Denver), “S” (San Francisco)

1978 Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages:

  • 1978: 14,350,000
  • 1978-D: 13,765,799
  • 1978-S Proof: 3,127,781


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