Half Dollar · 1964–2026

Kennedy Half Dollar

A left-facing portrait of President John F. Kennedy with LIBERTY around the top and the date below. The Presidential Seal: a heraldic eagle with a shield, surrounded by a ring of 50 stars (Independence Hall appears instead on 1776-1976 Bicentennial coins).

Designer

Gilroy Roberts (obverse), Frank Gasparro (reverse)

Diameter

30.6 mm

Edge

Reeded

Mint mark

Reverse near the eagle's tail in 1964; obverse (front) below Kennedy's neck, above the date, from 1968 onward

Composition

1964–1964: 90% silver, 10% copper · 12.5 g Silver

1965–1970: 40% silver clad · 11.5 g Silver

1971–2026: Copper-nickel clad (special silver collector versions also exist) · 11.34 g Silver

Did you know? For the design's 50th anniversary in 2014, the Mint struck a special gold Kennedy half at West Point with a W mint mark — the first-ever gold half dollar.

Beginner tip: Check the date before anything else: 1964 halves are 90% silver and 1965-1970 are 40% silver, so both are worth well above face value for the metal alone, while 1971 and later pocket-change halves are ordinary clad.

Key dates to look for

1964 Kennedy Half

$10+ in any condition for the silver

The only 90% silver year — heavily hoarded after Kennedy's assassination

1970-D Kennedy Half

$15 – $40

Sold only in Mint sets, never released for circulation

1987-P Kennedy Half

$4 – $8

No halves struck for circulation this year — Mint sets only

1987-D Kennedy Half

$4 – $8

Mint sets only, same as the 1987-P

1998-S Kennedy Half

$100+

Special matte-finish silver proof from the Kennedy Collector's Set, about 62,000 made

Valuable varieties & errors

1964 Accented Hair Proof

scarce

$40 – $1,500+

The earliest 1964 proof dies showed extra-deep, heavy strands in Kennedy's hair above his ear. Jacqueline Kennedy reportedly preferred a softer look, so the dies were modified — leaving the first small batch of proofs as a distinct collectible variety.

How to check: Only check mirror-finish proof coins. Look at the hair just above Kennedy's ear: the Accented Hair shows bold, deeply cut strands there. The clincher is the letter I in LIBERTY — on Accented Hair proofs its lower-left serif is missing or weak.

1966 SMS No FG

scarce

$25 – $1,000+

On some 1966 Special Mint Set coins, designer Frank Gasparro's initials 'FG' are missing from the reverse. An over-polished or clogged die wiped the tiny initials away before striking.

How to check: On the back, look between the eagle's left leg (your right) and the tail feathers, where a small 'FG' normally sits. If the area is completely blank on a satin-finish 1966 Special Mint Set coin — and the rest of the coin is well struck — you may have the No FG variety.

1974-D Doubled Die Obverse

scarce

$30 – $500+

A misaligned hubbing at Denver doubled the obverse motto. It is the most famous clad-era Kennedy doubled die and still turns up in bank rolls and old collections.

How to check: With a loupe, check IN GOD WE TRUST. On the doubled die, WE TRUST shows clear separated doubling — TRUST is the strongest spot. Flat, shelf-like doubling that just smears the letters is worthless machine doubling, so look for two distinct rounded impressions.

1982-P No FG

scarce

$10 – $150

Some 1982 Philadelphia halves are missing Frank Gasparro's 'FG' initials on the reverse, wiped out by over-polished or grease-filled dies. It's an affordable variety a beginner can genuinely find in circulation or bank rolls.

How to check: Check the back between the eagle's left leg (your right) and its tail feathers for the small 'FG'. If it is fully missing — not just weak or partly visible — on a 1982-P, you have the variety. Coins with a faint partial FG carry little premium.

Error types found on this series

Doubled Die (Obverse)

The front design shows a second, shifted image because the die itself was made doubled.

Grease-Filled Die (Struck Through Grease)

Grease and debris packed into the die's recesses blocked part of the design, leaving weak or missing details.

Missing Clad Layer

A dime, quarter, or half is missing its outer silver-colored layer on one side, exposing the copper core.

Off-Center Strike

The blank wasn't centered when struck, so part of the design is missing and part of the coin is blank.

Die Clash

The dies slammed together with no coin between them, imprinting each side's design faintly onto the other.

Machine Doubling

The die bounced or chattered at the moment of striking, smearing a flat shelf-like second edge onto the design.

Real photos where available (credits); others are illustrations.

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