1969-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the San Francisco Mint · 2,934,731 made
- Mintage
- 2,934,731
- 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 1969-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof worth?
Its silver content sets the floor. Collectors add a small premium on top for this issue. Condition decides how much.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1969-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 2,934,731 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1969-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof 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 1969 Kennedy Half Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Kennedy's portrait and above the date. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- How many 1969-S Kennedy Half Dollar proofs were made?
- 2,934,731.
What to check on your 1969-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1969-D (130 million made).
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the hair above Kennedy's ear and the center of the eagle on the reverse.
Proofs from 1969 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1969-S
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 1969
A doubled die at San Francisco produced the 1969-S Doubled Die cent, one of the rarest Lincoln cent errors.
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 | 1969 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 2,934,731 |
| 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 1969 Kennedy Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-D Kennedy Half Dollar | 129,881,800 | Circulation strike | 0.1479 oz |
| 1969-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 2,934,731 | 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.