Kennedy Half Dollars

The 1970-S Proof Half

In 1970 no half dollars were struck for circulation; this San Francisco proof was one of 2,632,810 struck for proof sets. The Kennedy half was 40% silver clad from 1965 to 1970 and had no silver from 1971, making 1970 the final silver-clad year. The San Francisco Mint opened in 1854 to coin California Gold Rush gold; its current building on Hermann Street, opened in 1937, focuses primarily on proof coins like this one.

The Year 1970

On December 31, 1970, minutes before midnight, President Nixon signed the law that took the silver out of the half dollar, authorized the GSA sale of the Treasury's Carson City silver dollars, and created the Eisenhower dollar. In 1970 a dollar had the buying power of about $8.30 today, so this half dollar's 50 cents was worth about $4.15.

The Kennedy Half Dollar

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and when his memorial half dollar went on sale on March 24, 1964, a line a block long formed at the Treasury windows. Gilroy Roberts adapted his Kennedy medal portrait for the front, and Frank Gasparro adapted the presidential seal for the back. Only months before his death, Kennedy declared "Ich bin ein Berliner" in West Berlin, visited his family's ancestral home in Ireland, and went on to Italy.

Grade And Authenticity

A proof is struck specially for collectors, with mirror-like fields, and PR69 is one point below a perfect 70. PCGS, founded in 1986, guarantees its grades. The seller also tested the metal through the holder with a calibrated Sigma Metalytics verifier (consistent with the 40% silver-clad composition), inspected the holder for tampering (none found), confirmed the certification number on the PCGS website, and tapped the NFC chip with an iPhone, which opened the matching PCGS record.

Also In Our Store

• Eisenhower dollars and GSA-sold Morgan dollars from that same 1970 law.
• Holiday postcards from the Golden Age of Postcards, many printed in Germany.
• Peace dollars, designed by Sicilian-born Anthony de Francisci, and more world coins and banknotes.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

The 1970-S Proof Half

In 1970 no half dollars were struck for circulation; this San Francisco proof was one of 2,632,810 struck for proof sets. The Kennedy half was 40% silver clad from 1965 to 1970 and had no silver from 1971, making 1970 the final silver-clad year. The San Francisco Mint opened in 1854 to coin California Gold Rush gold; its current building on Hermann Street, opened in 1937, focuses primarily on proof coins like this one.

The Year 1970

On December 31, 1970, minutes before midnight, President Nixon signed the law that took the silver out of the half dollar, authorized the GSA sale of the Treasury's Carson City silver dollars, and created the Eisenhower dollar. In 1970 a dollar had the buying power of about $8.30 today, so this half dollar's 50 cents was worth about $4.15.

The Kennedy Half Dollar

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and when his memorial half dollar went on sale on March 24, 1964, a line a block long formed at the Treasury windows. Gilroy Roberts adapted his Kennedy medal portrait for the front, and Frank Gasparro adapted the presidential seal for the back. Only months before his death, Kennedy declared "Ich bin ein Berliner" in West Berlin, visited his family's ancestral home in Ireland, and went on to Italy.

Grade And Authenticity

A proof is struck specially for collectors, with mirror-like fields; "Cameo" means the portrait and lettering are frosted against those fields, and PF69 is one point below a perfect 70. NGC, founded in 1987, is the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association, with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Munich and London. The seller also tested the metal through the holder with a calibrated Sigma Metalytics verifier (consistent with the 40% silver-clad composition), inspected the holder for tampering (none found), and confirmed the certification number on the NGC website.

Also In Our Store

• Eisenhower dollars and GSA-sold Morgan dollars from that same 1970 law.
• Holiday postcards from the Golden Age of Postcards, many printed in Germany.
• Peace dollars, designed by Sicilian-born Anthony de Francisci, and more world coins and banknotes.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

The 1970-S Proof Half

In 1970 no half dollars were struck for circulation; this San Francisco proof was one of 2,632,810 struck for proof sets. The Kennedy half was 40% silver clad from 1965 to 1970 and had no silver from 1971, making 1970 the final silver-clad year. The San Francisco Mint opened in 1854 to coin California Gold Rush gold; its current building on Hermann Street, opened in 1937, focuses primarily on proof coins like this one.

The Year 1970

On December 31, 1970, minutes before midnight, President Nixon signed the law that took the silver out of the half dollar, authorized the GSA sale of the Treasury's Carson City silver dollars, and created the Eisenhower dollar. In 1970 a dollar had the buying power of about $8.30 today, so this half dollar's 50 cents was worth about $4.15.

The Kennedy Half Dollar

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and when his memorial half dollar went on sale on March 24, 1964, a line a block long formed at the Treasury windows. Gilroy Roberts adapted his Kennedy medal portrait for the front, and Frank Gasparro adapted the presidential seal for the back. Only months before his death, Kennedy declared "Ich bin ein Berliner" in West Berlin, visited his family's ancestral home in Ireland, and went on to Italy.

Grade And Authenticity

A proof is struck specially for collectors, with mirror-like fields; "Cameo" means the portrait and lettering are frosted against those fields, and PF69 is one point below a perfect 70. NGC, founded in 1987, is the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association, with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Munich and London. The seller also tested the metal through the holder with a calibrated Sigma Metalytics verifier (consistent with the 40% silver-clad composition), inspected the holder for tampering (none found), and confirmed the certification number on the NGC website.

Also In Our Store

• Eisenhower dollars and GSA-sold Morgan dollars from that same 1970 law.
• Holiday postcards from the Golden Age of Postcards, many printed in Germany.
• Peace dollars, designed by Sicilian-born Anthony de Francisci, and more world coins and banknotes.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

After President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, Congress authorized a half dollar in his memory on December 30, 1963. Gilroy Roberts engraved the obverse and Frank Gasparro the reverse. 1964 is the first year of the Kennedy half and the only year it was struck in 90% silver for circulation; from 1965 the half dropped to 40% silver. Denver struck about 156 million in 1964.

Buying Power

In 1964 this half dollar had the buying power of about $5.39 today.

Condition

[Est. MS-60] Uncirculated and original, never polished or cleaned, with even gray toning in blue and gold tones that mutes the luster. Strong hair detail with the individual strands showing across the head; the eagle's feathers, shield lines and stars are crisp. Light contact marks and fine hairline scratches in the fields from decades of storage, mostly on the obverse, and a few small dark specks near the date (see the close-ups). Checked for the 1964-D doubled die obverse (FS-101) and the 1964-D/D repunched mint mark (FS-501): none seen; the D is single. Grade estimated; not professionally graded. Currently still legal tender, but its silver content and collector value are far higher than face value.

Also In Our Store

More coins: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=coin

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Congress authorized the Kennedy half dollar in December 1963, weeks after President Kennedy's assassination, and the first coins were released in March 1964. Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts sculpted the portrait (his GR monogram is on the truncation of the neck); Frank Gasparro designed the reverse from the Presidential Seal (his FG is near the eagle's tail feathers). 1964 is the only year the Kennedy half was struck in 90% silver for circulation; from 1965 the silver content dropped to 40%.

Condition

Our conservative estimate AU+ (not professionally graded). Fine hairlines and contact marks across the obverse face and field, with streaky gray toning; see the photos.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.