Top 6 Most Valuable Kennedy Half Dollars Chart

Top 6 Most Valuable Kennedy Half Dollars Chart:  Are you considering adding Kennedy half dollars to your coin collection? Do you have an uncirculated half-dollar that could be worth some good money? You have come to the right place!

We’ve put together a comprehensive list of the most valuable Kennedy half dollar. As you will discover, Kennedy fifty cent coins are quite common and inexpensive, but some can be worth a fortune depending on key dates and the coin’s condition. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Top 6 Most Valuable Kennedy Half Dollars Chart

1. 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar Special Strike

• The 1964 Special Strike Kennedy half dollar is the rarest, non-error example in the series. This coin has unique qualities that distinguish it from other coins struck in the same year.
• You will tell a 1964 special strike half dollar by its satiny finish, sharp obverse, and reverse design details. The rims are also exceptionally sharp and well-grounded.
• These special coins typically won’t have contact marks, indicating that they were carefully minted and preserved to retain their special status. Unlike proof coins, the Kennedy half-dollar special strike has a matte finish, with the only visible marks being die-polishing lines.
• To date, the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) has certified only a dozen special strike Kennedy half dollars from 1964, highlighting that this is the rarest of all special strike coins struck in 1964.
• The most expensive 1964 Kennedy half-dollar special strike was graded SP68 and auctioned for $156,000 at a Stack’s Bowers auction.

2. 1968 Kennedy Half-Dollar Proof

 

• The Mint began striking proof Kennedy half dollars in 1968, with these coins displaying the mint mark S to indicate their San Francisco origin. Before then, the Mint had only struck proofs in 1964, and these were produced at the Philadelphia facility.
• The 1968 Kennedy half-dollar proofs are of superior quality compared to the ones struck in 1964. As such, many of the available examples can be found in higher grades. Cameos are readily available, but deep cameos are increasingly rare and difficult to find.
• A super rare deep cameo specimen graded PF70 was sold for $21,600 in a 2017 Heritage auction.

3. 1964 Kennedy Half-Dollar Proof

• The 1964 proof was the first in the Kennedy half-dollar series. This collectors’ coin was struck in Philadelphia, and the finish is noticeably inferior.
• Cameo and deep cameo examples are extremely rare, but proofs graded PF68 and lower are generally easier to find. As expected, cameo and deep cameo examples can be very expensive.
• One exceptional example of a 1964 Kennedy half-dollar proof was graded PF70 and sold for $9,400.

4. 1964 Accented Hair Kennedy Half Dollar

• The Accented Hair is the best-known variety in the Kennedy half-dollar series. The Mint used this design first to strike that year’s proof coins.
• The design features extra hair above the president’s ear. On circulation 1964 Kennedy half dollars, the hair is softer and sparser. Another outstanding feature of the Accented Hair proof coin is the missing serif on the left of the letter I in LIBERTY.
• The Accented Hair proof coin was struck for one year before the modified variety replaced it. Being a one-year issue coin makes the 1964 Accented Hair proof coin noticeably rare compared to the half-dollar circulation. Less than 5% of the coins struck that year have the Accented Hair design.
• A regular Accented Hair proof with at least a PR69 rating can fetch as much as $3,100, while cameo and deep cameo examples are extremely rare. One deep cameo example graded PF68 was auctioned for $19,975.

5. 1976 (D) Kennedy Half Dollar

• The Denver mint struck over 200 Kennedy half dollars in 1976, making these coins common. You will easily find 1976 D half dollars in your piggy bank or pocket change, which will usually be worth more or less their face value.
• The 1976 Kennedy half dollars were a one-year issue, and being the country’s bicentennial year, many collectors hoarded these coins believing they were extremely valuable. Despite the hoarding, many more coins remained in circulation and are only worth their face value.
• The population begins to dwindle for half dollars graded MS64. 1976 D Kennedy half dollars graded MS67 and above are exceptionally rare, and less than a dozen examples are certified.
• One example, certified as GENUINE by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), was sold for a whopping $10,000 in 2021 at an online auction.

6. 1971 D Kennedy Half Dollar

• The year 1971 is significant in the numismatic world; it is when the Mint changed the metal composition of Kennedy dollars from 90% silver to 40%.
• Millions of Kennedy half dollars were struck at the Denver facility, making this coin very common. You can easily find them in home coin jars and banks, and most of the circulated varieties are only worth their face value.
• The value of 1971 D Kennedy half dollars begins to increase at MS67. These coins are pointedly scarce in high-grade mint state, with less than 500 examples known. In grades higher than MS68, 1971 D Kennedy half dollars are almost impossible; any lucky finds would be worth a fortune.
• The most expensive example was graded MS61 and fetched a clean $13,000 at an eBay auction in 2018.