Years
Designer
Gilroy Roberts / Frank Gasparro
Composition
90% silver (1964); 40% silver (1965–70); clad thereafter
Diameter
30.61 mm
Mass
11.34 g
Thickness
2.15 mm
Edge
Reeded
Mints
Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, West Point
Metal
Clad
Design
Kennedy after the presidential medal; reverse a modified presidential seal. Special 2014 gold and 2014 50th-anniversary sets exist.
History
Rushed into production after Dallas, the 1964 Kennedy half was hoarded immediately. 1965–70 40% silver issues were a compromise; clad took over in 1971. 1970-D exists only in mint sets. The half dollar effectively left circulation in the 1980s but is still struck for collectors. 1964 SMS and doubled-die varieties sit at the top of the modern census.
Key dates
scarce
rare
Varieties
1964-P · 1964 SMS
design · rare
1970-D · 1970-D
design · scarce
1982-P · 1982 No FG
die polish · scarce
123 issues