2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,175,934 made
- Mintage
- 1,175,934
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 12.5 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 2004-S Silver 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 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 1,175,934 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 2004 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 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar proofs were made?
- 1,175,934.
What to check on your 2004-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 2004-P (2.9 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 2004 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 2004-S
Collector-only production (2002 to 2025)
From 2002 the Mint stopped releasing halves into circulation and struck them only for collectors, sold in rolls, bags and sets. Mintages stayed between about 1.7 and 3.8 million per mint through 2012. In 2014 the Mint marked the 50th anniversary with a 1964-2014 dual-dated gold proof from West Point, 73,772 struck, along with silver versions from all four mints.
Silver proofs switched to .999 fine silver in 2019. Output for collectors rose again after 2020, with Philadelphia striking 30.2 million in 2023. Business strikes of these years are rarely found in change, so most surviving coins are uncirculated, often still in original Mint rolls or packaging. Silver proofs of the 2020s were made in smaller numbers than those of earlier decades.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 2004
The Westward Journey nickels began, marking the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
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 | 2004 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 1,175,934 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 12.5 grams |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3617 troy oz (11.250 g) |
| Designer | Gilroy Roberts (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 2004 Kennedy Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-P Kennedy Half Dollar | 2,900,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2004-D Kennedy Half Dollar | 2,900,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 2004-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 1,789,488 | Proof | – |
| 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 1,175,934 | Proof | 0.3617 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.