The dates to check first
These are the lowest-mintage Kennedy halves struck for circulation. If you're sorting a jar or an inherited collection, pull these dates out before anything else and check the mint mark carefully.
- 2008-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 1,700,000 made.
- 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar: 1,700,000 made.
- 2010-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 1,700,000 made.
- 2011-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 1,700,000 made.
- 2012-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 1,700,000 made.
- 2019-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 1,700,000 made.
Every kennedy half dollar by date and mint
Click any date for its full page: how many were made, the mint mark location, varieties and what to check. Mint marks matter: the same year can be common from one mint and scarce from another.
| Date and mint | Mintage | Value band | Also look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-D | 156,205,446 | Metal value | |
| 1964 | 273,304,004 | Metal value | The 1964 Kennedy half is 90% silver and was the only Kennedy half struck for circulation in that alloy |
| 1965 | 65,879,366 | Metal value | |
| 1966 | 108,984,932 | Metal value | |
| 1967 | 295,046,978 | Metal value | |
| 1968-D | 246,951,930 | Metal value | |
| 1969-D | 129,881,800 | Metal value | |
| 1970-D | 2,150,000 | Metal value | The 1970-D was issued only in mint sets, not for circulation and is the key to the Kennedy series |
| 1971-D | 302,097,424 | Face value | |
| 1971 | 155,164,000 | Face value | |
| 1972-D | 141,890,000 | Face value | |
| 1972 | 153,180,000 | Face value | |
| 1973-D | 83,171,400 | Face value | |
| 1973 | 64,964,000 | Face value | |
| 1974-D | 79,066,300 | Face value | 1974-D Doubled Die |
| 1974 | 201,596,000 | Face value | |
| 1976-D | 287,565,248 | Face value | |
| 1976 | 234,308,000 | Face value | |
| 1977-D | 31,449,106 | Face value | |
| 1977 | 43,598,000 | Face value | |
| 1978-D | 13,765,799 | Face value | |
| 1978 | 14,350,000 | Face value | |
| 1979-D | 15,815,422 | Face value | |
| 1979 | 68,312,000 | Face value | |
| 1980-D | 33,456,449 | Face value | |
| 1980-P | 44,134,000 | Face value | |
| 1981-D | 27,839,533 | Face value | |
| 1981-P | 29,544,000 | Face value | |
| 1982-D | 13,140,102 | Face value | |
| 1982-P | 10,819,000 | Face value | |
| 1983-D | 32,472,244 | Face value | |
| 1983-P | 34,139,000 | Face value | |
| 1984-D | 26,262,158 | Face value | |
| 1984-P | 26,029,000 | Face value | |
| 1985-D | 19,814,034 | Face value | |
| 1985-P | 18,706,962 | Face value | |
| 1986-D | 15,336,145 | Face value | |
| 1986-P | 13,107,633 | Face value | |
| 1987-D | 2,890,758 | Face value | |
| 1987-P | 2,890,758 | Face value | |
| 1988-D | 12,000,096 | Face value | |
| 1988-P | 13,626,000 | Face value | |
| 1989-D | 23,000,216 | Face value | |
| 1989-P | 24,542,000 | Face value | |
| 1990-D | 20,096,242 | Face value | |
| 1990-P | 22,278,000 | Face value | |
| 1991-D | 15,054,678 | Face value | |
| 1991-P | 14,874,000 | Face value | |
| 1992-D | 17,000,106 | Face value | |
| 1992-P | 17,628,000 | Face value | |
| 1993-D | 15,000,006 | Face value | |
| 1993-P | 15,510,000 | Face value | |
| 1994-D | 23,828,110 | Face value | |
| 1994-P | 23,718,000 | Face value | |
| 1995-D | 26,288,000 | Face value | |
| 1995-P | 26,496,000 | Face value | |
| 1996-D | 24,744,000 | Face value | |
| 1996-P | 24,442,000 | Face value | |
| 1997-D | 19,876,000 | Face value | |
| 1997-P | 20,882,000 | Face value | |
| 1998-D | 15,064,000 | Face value | |
| 1998-P | 15,646,000 | Face value | |
| 1999-D | 10,682,000 | Face value | |
| 1999-P | 8,900,000 | Face value | |
| 2000-D | 19,466,000 | Face value | |
| 2000-P | 22,600,000 | Face value | |
| 2001-D | 19,504,000 | Face value | |
| 2001-P | 21,200,000 | Face value | |
| 2002-D | 2,500,000 | Face value | |
| 2002-P | 3,100,000 | Face value | |
| 2003-D | 2,500,000 | Face value | |
| 2003-P | 2,500,000 | Face value | |
| 2004-D | 2,900,000 | Face value | |
| 2004-P | 2,900,000 | Face value | |
| 2005-D | 3,500,000 | Face value | |
| 2005-P | 3,800,000 | Face value | |
| 2006-D | 2,000,000 | Face value | |
| 2006-P | 2,400,000 | Face value | |
| 2007-D | 2,400,000 | Face value | |
| 2007-P | 2,400,000 | Face value | |
| 2008-D | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2008-P | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2009-D | 1,900,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2009-P | 1,900,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2010-D | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2010-P | 1,800,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2011-D | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2011-P | 1,750,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2012-D | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2012-P | 1,800,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2013-D | 4,600,000 | Face value | |
| 2013-P | 5,000,000 | Face value | |
| 2014-D | 2,100,000 | Face value | |
| 2014-P | 2,500,000 | Face value | |
| 2015-D | 2,300,000 | Face value | |
| 2015-P | 2,300,000 | Face value | |
| 2016-D | 2,100,000 | Face value | |
| 2016-P | 2,100,000 | Face value | |
| 2017-D | 2,900,000 | Face value | |
| 2017-P | 1,800,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2018-D | 6,100,000 | Face value | |
| 2018-P | 4,800,000 | Face value | |
| 2019-D | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2019-P | 1,700,000 | Collector premium | |
| 2020-D | 3,400,000 | Face value | |
| 2020-P | 2,300,000 | Face value | |
| 2021-D | 7,700,000 | Face value | |
| 2021-P | 5,400,000 | Face value | |
| 2022-D | 4,900,000 | Face value | |
| 2022-P | 4,800,000 | Face value | |
| 2023-D | 27,800,000 | Face value | |
| 2023-P | 30,200,000 | Face value | |
| 2024-D | 21,900,000 | Face value | |
| 2024-P | 15,700,000 | Face value | |
| 2025-D | 12,000,000 | Face value | |
| 2025-P | 11,200,000 | Face value |
The series in 5 stages
The 90 percent silver memorial issue (1964)
Congress authorized the Kennedy half dollar in December 1963, weeks after the assassination. Gilroy Roberts adapted his presidential medal portrait for the obverse and Frank Gasparro designed the reverse based on the presidential seal. The coins were released in March 1964 and vanished from circulation almost at once as people kept them as mementos.
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.
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.
Eagle reverse and dwindling demand (1977 to 2001)
The eagle reverse returned in 1977. Halves saw little use in commerce and mintages fell into the tens of millions, then lower. The 1982 Philadelphia issue includes a variety missing Gasparro's FG initials from the reverse. In 1987 no halves were made for circulation; the 2,890,758 coins from each mint went only into uncirculated sets.
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.
Decade by decade
- 1960s: 7 issues, 1.3 billion coins. Scarcest: 1965 (65,879,366).
- 1970s: 17 issues, 1.9 billion coins. Scarcest: 1970-D (2,150,000).
- 1980s: 20 issues, 424 million coins. Scarcest: 1987-D (2,890,758).
- 1990s: 20 issues, 378 million coins. Scarcest: 1999-P (8,900,000).
- 2000s: 20 issues, 123 million coins. Scarcest: 2008-D (1,700,000).
- 2010s: 20 issues, 52 million coins. Scarcest: 2010-D (1,700,000).
- 2020s: 12 issues, 147 million coins. Scarcest: 2020-P (2,300,000).
Where to find the mint mark
- 1964: On the reverse, near the eagle's claw holding the olive branch.
- 1965 to 1967: No mint mark. Mint marks were suspended in 1965–1967.
- 1968 to 2025: On the obverse, below Kennedy's portrait and above the date.
Identifying and grading Kennedy halves
Check the hair above Kennedy's ear and the center of the eagle on the reverse.
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.
What the value bands mean
- Face value: worth its face in worn condition; only uncirculated coins and varieties carry a premium.
- Metal value: worth its silver content in worn condition.
- Small premium: sells for a little over face or metal value even when worn.
- Collector premium: scarcer than usual, so worn coins sell well above face or metal value.
- Significant rarity: a key date, valuable in any condition and often faked.
Bands describe a coin in ordinary circulated condition. An uncirculated coin with full original luster sits a band or more higher. Recognized varieties can be worth far more than the date itself.
Frequently asked questions
Which Kennedy halves are worth the most?
By mintage, the scarcest circulation issues are the 2008-D Kennedy Half Dollar (1,700,000), 2008-P Kennedy Half Dollar (1,700,000), 2010-D Kennedy Half Dollar (1,700,000). Varieties and top-grade coins of common dates can also be valuable.
Are Kennedy halves silver?
Some are: 8 of the 116 dates in this chart are silver. The chart's value band shows "Metal value" for common silver dates.
Why does this chart show bands instead of prices?
Prices change with the market and with each coin's grade, so any printed price goes out of date. A value band tells you which coins are worth a closer look; for a current price, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Mintages: Kennedy half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records.