When Was the Kennedy Half Dollar Produced and Are They Worth Anything?

Though it may not be the most valuable coin out there, the Kennedy half dollar was extremely popular upon release, and was made in honor of arguably one of the most popular, and famous Presidents of the United States, President John F. Kennedy.

Despite the Kennedy half dollar not really circulating through commerce, it was hoarded by many people upon release, and is a popular coin amongst coin collectors, due to the popularity of Kennedy and the tragedy of his assassination in Dallas, Texas.

So when exactly was the Kennedy dollar produced? And are they worth big money?

Read on to find out!

When Was the Kennedy Half Dollar Produced?

The Kennedy half dollar was first minted in 1964, just the following year after John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  The coin was produced to honor and memorialize the 35th President of the United States.

After the assassination, the Mint was considering which coin to use for the new coin honoring the president.  The options were the dollar coin, half dollar, or the quarter.  Ultimately it was decided it should be the half dollar, as Jacqueline Kennedy preferred it and didn’t want to replace George Washington on the quarter.

The design used for the new half dollar actually came from an already existing bust that Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts, had made for the Kennedy Medal, this saved a lot of time and allowed the coin to be produced as quickly as possible.

Congressional approval was still needed to produce the coin, as it had not been more than 25 years since the last change to the half dollar, and in December of 1963, Representative Henry Gonzalez introduced a bill to Congress.  The Bill was endorsed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and then finally at the very end of December, the Bill was passed by Congress.

Work had already begun on the new coins before the bill was officially passed, and dies were already finished by January 2nd of 1964! 

The first circulation coins were struck at the Denver Mint on January 30, 1964.  Prior to the circulation strike coins, the Mint had struck a number of Proof coins.

The coins were finally released to the public on March 24, 1964 and 70,000 coins were sold before the end of the day. The coins were so popular that banks and coin dealers tried to ration them but were still sold out by the end of the week!

The demand was so high for the new Kennedy half dollars that by the end of the year, to try to keep up with demand, the Mint had produced almost 430 million 1964 Kennedy half dollars!

Despite their immense popularity, these coins did not circulate through commerce.  People kept them as mementos and hoarded and collected them rather than spending them.

Are Kennedy Half Dollars Worth Anything?

While there aren’t many Kennedy Half Dollars that are worth massive amounts of money, and most of the Kennedy half dollars are usually worth only a little bit over face-value, there are a few that can net you a small chunk of change. 

In general, the silver JFK half dollars are going to be worth more than face value due to the silver content, so that includes half dollars from 1964-1970 as well as 1976. 

As far as the general population of Kennedy Half Dollars goes, anything that’s in worn condition, is probably not going to be worth more than face value.  You’ll want to look for uncirculated or good condition error coins, such as the 1974-D Doubled Die reverse, and the 1982-P No FG Kennedy half dollar.  The error coins will generally net you anywhere from $10-$25 or more.

By far the Kennedy Half dollars that are the most valuable are going to be the Proof coins.  These are not coins that are in circulation and you will not find them in your pocket change.  Proof coins must be purchased either directly from the Mint or from a coin dealer.

In the end, whether the Kennedy Half dollar is worth collecting or not really all comes down to preference.  If you like them, you should absolutely collect them regardless of their worth.  After all, things are only worth the value we place on them!

For a more comprehensive list of Kennedy Half Dollars and their average prices, check out our guide here.