1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated
Collector uncirculated struck at the San Francisco Mint · 11,000,000 made
- Mintage
- 11,000,000
- 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 1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated 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 1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 11,000,000 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated 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 1976 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 1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated coins were made?
- 11,000,000.
What to check on your 1976-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 1976 (234 million made).
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the hair above Kennedy's ear and the center of the eagle on the reverse.
The story of the 1976-S
Copper-nickel clad and the bicentennial reverse (1971 to 1976)
Silver was dropped in 1971 and the half took the same copper-nickel clad composition as the dime and quarter, weighing 11.34 grams. Philadelphia returned to half dollar production that year. Denver struck more than 302 million in 1971. A 1974-D doubled die obverse shows clear doubling in IN GOD WE TRUST.
No halves are dated 1975. Coins struck in 1975 and 1976 carry the dual date 1776-1976 with Seth G. Huntington's view of Independence Hall on the reverse. San Francisco made 40 percent silver versions for collector sets in addition to clad proofs. Bicentennial halves were struck in enormous numbers, more than 520 million for circulation, so they remain common. Collectors seek the silver versions and sharp uncirculated clad coins.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1976
Bicentennial designs appeared on the quarter (a colonial drummer), the half dollar (Independence Hall) and the dollar (the Liberty Bell and the Moon).
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 | 1976 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Collector uncirculated |
| Mintage | 11,000,000 |
| 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 1976 Kennedy Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Kennedy Half Dollar | 234,308,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1976-D Kennedy Half Dollar | 287,565,248 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Uncirculated | 11,000,000 | Collector uncirculated | 0.1479 oz |
| 1976-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 7,059,099 | Proof | – |
| 1976-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 4,000,000 | 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.