1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 246,951,930 made
- Mintage
- 246,951,930
- Metal
- 40% silver clad
- Weight
- 11.5 g
- Diameter
- 30.61 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.1479 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar rare?
- No. With 247 million made, it's one of the most common Kennedy Half Dollars.
- Is the 1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 40% silver clad (80% silver outer layers) and holds 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1968 Kennedy Half Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Kennedy's portrait and above the date. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- Which Denver dates near 1968 are scarcer?
- The 1970-D at 2,150,000, the 1973-D at 83,171,400, the 1969-D at 129,881,800, plus 2 more. So the 1968-D is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar coins were made?
- 246,951,930.
What to check on your 1968-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1968-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof (3,041,506 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the hair above Kennedy's ear and the center of the eagle on the reverse.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1968-D
Denver hadn't struck the Kennedy Half Dollar since 1964. When it came back in 1968, it made 246,951,930. In 1969 the figure was 130 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1968 you find is from Denver.
Across Denver's 58 Kennedy Half Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 2008-D with 1,700,000 made. The 1968-D is one of the easier ones. Within the 1960s it's 5th smallest of 7, between the 1964-D (156 million) and the 1964 (273 million).
Forty percent silver years (1965 to 1970)
From 1965 to 1970 the half dollar kept some silver: outer layers of 80 percent silver bonded to a core of about 21 percent silver, for 40 percent overall. As with other denominations, no mint marks were used from 1965 to 1967 and Special Mint Sets replaced proofs. The Mint struck nearly 300 million halves dated 1967.
From 1968 the mint mark moved to the obverse above the date and San Francisco struck the proofs. Philadelphia made no business strike halves from 1968 to 1970. Halves were mostly hoarded by now. In 1970 Denver struck only 2,150,000, all sold in uncirculated sets with none released for circulation. The 1970-D is the key business strike of the series. Coins of these years have a silvery edge without a copper stripe.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1968
Mint marks returned. On the nickel, dime, quarter and half dollar they moved to the obverse. Proof coin production moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco.
How to recognize it
Gilroy Roberts' portrait shows John F. Kennedy facing left with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST below and the date at the bottom. The reverse, by Frank Gasparro, is based on the Presidential seal: an eagle holding arrows and an olive branch surrounded by a ring of 50 stars. The mint mark was on the reverse in 1964 and has been below Kennedy's neck since 1968.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Kennedy Half Dollar (1964–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1968 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 246,951,930 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 40% silver clad (80% silver outer layers) |
| Weight | 11.5 grams |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.1479 troy oz (4.600 g) |
| Designer | Gilroy Roberts (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 1968 Kennedy Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar | 246,951,930 | Circulation strike | 0.1479 oz |
| 1968-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 3,041,506 | Proof | 0.1479 oz |
Mintage: Kennedy half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.