Complete Guide to Kennedy Half Dollars
The Kennedy Half Dollar series underwent two significant changes during the second decade of issue. The first change was compositional and the second change was the design. The last 40% silver Kennedy Half Dollars were issued in 1970 and 1976. Notably, neither of these coins were released for circulation. The 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar was […]
A point of focus for the 1979 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) are the two varieties for the Proof version of the coin, which are differentiated by the appearance of the mint mark. The Type 1 version has filled “S” mint mark and is the more common. The Type 2 version has a clear […]
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 […]
The 1977 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) saw the resumption of the original reverse design, following the bicentennial design of the prior year. Mintage levels for circulation strikes would experience a significant decline and set a new tone for the series going forward. The Philadelphia Mint struck 43,598,000 and the Denver Mint struck 31,449,106. […]
The bicentennial of American Independence was recognized on the Kennedy Half Dollar with a special reverse design as well as the issuance in a special composition of 40% silver. These “silver clad” versions were not released for general circulation, but only issued within three-coin Uncirculated Sets or Proof Sets sold by the United States Mint. […]
To celebrate America’s bicentennial, special reverse designs were created for use on the quarter, half dollar, and dollar coins. These designs were selected in a national competition sponsored by the Treasury Department. This represented the first time that circulating coin designs were changed in honor of the anniversary of American Independence. The 1976 Kennedy Half […]
The 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) would be the last issue of the series before a brief design change would take place. The United States Mint did not produce 1975-dated half dollars. In 1974, the Mint had already began production for the bicentennial design carrying a 1776-1796 dual-date. For the present year, circulation […]
The 1973 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) was struck for circulation at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. Production registered a lull between the higher previous and subsequent years. Typically, the Denver Mint coins will be more sharply struck and in higher grades. However, both are difficult to find in good condition. The Proof version […]
The 1972 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) was the second year issued in the copper clad composition. Mintages remained relatively high with nearly 300 million coins produced across two mint facilities. As was the case for the previous year, the Denver Mint issue more frequently encountered in high grades, while the Philadelphia Mint issue […]
Different from previous coins in the series, the 1971 Kennedy Half Dollar (Buy on eBay) was struck in copper nickel clad composition. This consisted of an outer layer of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a core of pure copper. This composition had been used for quarters and dimes since 1965, however, the half […]