The Kennedy Half Dollar was created to memorialize President John F. Kennedy. The mintages for the coin were immense in the early years of the series as many members of the public saved the coin as a memento. Over the years, this actually led to a decline in use for the denomination, which resulted in dwindling mintages for the duration of the series, which continues to the present day.
The design of the coin depicts a portrait of the president, facing left. The inscription “LIBERTY” is widely spaced above the president, while “IN GOD WE TRUST” is inscribed across the neck line. The date appears at the bottom of the design. On the reverse is a design based on the Presidential Seal. There is an olive branch and arrows in the talons of an eagle, surround by fifty stars. A banner above the eagle reads “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” while the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and “HALF DOLLAR” surround the image. For the 1976 Kennedy Half Dollar the reverse image was changed to depict Independence Hall and the date on the obverse was “1776-1976.”
Kennedy Half Dollar Notes
- The series has produced 4,199,374,385 coin for circulation from the start of the series in 1964 until 2023. The Philadelphia and Denver Mints continue to produce limited quantities of the series each year to satisfy collector demand.
- The average mintage for circulation issues is 37,494,414, however this is highly skewed by earlier high mintage issues. Since 2002, the mintages have ranged from a low of 1,700,000 to a high of 3,800,000.
- The 1964 Heavily Accent Hair Kennedy Half Dollar is included in the mintage of the 1964 Proof Kennedy Half Dollar. It has been estimated that 1% to 3% of the total mintage of 1964 Proof Kennedy Half Dollars are of the Accented Hair variety. This would suggest a total population ranging from about 40,000 to 120,000 coins.
- Traditionally, the 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar has been considered a key date issue due to the low mintage of 2,150,000. However, several issues in recent years have mintages below this level.
- The highest mintage issue is the 1971-D Kennedy Half Dollar at 302,097,424 pieces.
- A 1974-D Double Die Obverse variety exists and is included in the mintage for the 1974-D Kennedy Half Dollar.
- Kennedy Half Dollars struck in 1975 and 1976 had a dual dating of “1776-1976” to celebrate the Bicentennial of the United States. Because of this, the table does not include 1975, and the mintage for 1976 represents the total mintage for coins struck with the dual date.
- Mintage figures for the 1976-S Silver Clad Kennedy Half Dollars are an approximation, as many were melted in 1982.
- The 1979-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar has two varieties—the Type 1 and the Type 2. The Type 1 has a filled “S” mint mark and is more common. The Type 2 has a clear “S” mint mark and is scarcer, with an estimated mintage of 428,000. Both the Type 1 and Type 2 versions are included in the mintage for the 1979-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar.
- The 1981-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar also has two varieties—the Type 1 and the Type 2. the Type 1 carries a clear “S” mint mark—similar in appearance to the 1979-S Type 2—while the 1981-S Type 2 has a flat “S” mint mark with rounder serifs. Both the Type 1 and Type 2 versions are included in the mintage for the 1981-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar.
- The 2019-S Enhanced Reverse Proof Kennedy Half Dollar was included in the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Proof Half Dollar Set.
Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 273,304,004 |
| 1964 Proof | 3,950,762 |
| 1964-D | 156,205,446 |
| 1965 | 65,879,366 |
| 1966 | 108,984,932 |
| 1967 | 295,046,978 |
| 1968-D | 246,951,930 |
| 1968-S Proof | 3,041,506 |
| 1969-D | 129,881,800 |
| 1969-S Proof | 2,934,631 |
| 1970-D | 2,150,000 |
| 1970-S Proof | 2,632,810 |
| 1971 | 155,164,000 |
| 1971-D | 302,097,424 |
| 1971-S Proof | 3,220,733 |
| 1972 | 153,180,000 |
| 1972-D | 141,890,000 |
| 1972-S Proof | 3,260,996 |
| 1973 | 64,964,000 |
| 1973-D | 83,171,400 |
| 1973-S Proof | 2,760,339 |
| 1974 | 201,596,000 |
| 1974-D | 79,066,300 |
| 1974-S Proof | 2,612,568 |
1776-1976 Bicentennial Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1976 | 234,308,000 |
| 1976-D | 287,565,248 |
| 1976-S Proof | 7,059,099 |
| 1976-S Silver Clad | 11,000,000 |
| 1976-S Proof Silver Clad | 4,000,000 |
Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages Continued
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 43,598,000 |
| 1977-D | 31,449,106 |
| 1977-S Proof | 3,251,152 |
| 1978 | 14,350,000 |
| 1978-D | 13,765,799 |
| 1978-S Proof | 3,127,781 |
| 1979 | 68,312,000 |
| 1979-D | 15,815,422 |
| 1979-S Proof | 3,677,175 |
| 1980-P | 44,134,000 |
| 1980-D | 33,456,449 |
| 1980-S Proof | 3,554,806 |
| 1981-P | 29,544,000 |
| 1981-D | 27,839,533 |
| 1981-S Proof | 4,063,083 |
| 1982-P | 10,819,000 |
| 1982-D | 13,140,102 |
| 1982-S Proof | 3,857,479 |
| 1983-P | 34,139,000 |
| 1983-D | 32,472,244 |
| 1983-S Proof | 3,279,126 |
| 1984-P | 26,029,000 |
| 1984-D | 26,262,158 |
| 1984-S Proof | 3,065,110 |
| 1985-P | 18,706,962 |
| 1985-D | 19,814,034 |
| 1985-S Proof | 3,362,821 |
| 1986-P | 13,107,633 |
| 1986-D | 15,336,145 |
| 1986-S Proof | 3,010,497 |
| 1987-P | 2,890,758 |
| 1987-D | 2,890,758 |
| 1987-S Proof | 4,227,728 |
| 1988-P | 13,626,000 |
| 1988-D | 12,000,096 |
| 1988-S Proof | 3,262,948 |
| 1989-P | 24,542,000 |
| 1989-D | 23,000,216 |
| 1989-S Proof | 3,220,194 |
Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages Continued
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1990-P | 22,278,000 |
| 1990-D | 20,096,242 |
| 1990-S Proof | 3,299,559 |
| 1991-P | 14,874,000 |
| 1991-D | 15,054,678 |
| 1991-S Proof | 2,867,787 |
| 1992-P | 17,628,000 |
| 1992-D | 17,000,106 |
| 1992-S Proof | 2,858,981 |
| 1992-S Silver Proof | 1,317,579 |
| 1993-P | 15,510,000 |
| 1993-D | 15,000,006 |
| 1993-S Proof | 2,633,439 |
| 1993-S Silver Proof | 761,353 |
| 1994-P | 23,718,000 |
| 1994-D | 23,828,110 |
| 1994-S Proof | 2,484,594 |
| 1994-S Silver Proof | 785,329 |
| 1995-P | 26,496,000 |
| 1995-D | 26,288,000 |
| 1995-S Proof | 2,117,496 |
| 1995-S Silver Proof | 679,985 |
| 1996-P | 24,442,000 |
| 1996-D | 24,744,000 |
| 1996-S Proof | 1,750,244 |
| 1996 Silver Proof | 775,021 |
| 1997-P | 20,882,000 |
| 1997-D | 19,876,000 |
| 1997-S Proof | 2,055,000 |
| 1997-S Silver Proof | 741,678 |
| 1998-P | 15,646,000 |
| 1998-D | 15,064,000 |
| 1998-S Proof | 2,086,507 |
| 1998-S Silver Proof | 878,792 |
| 1998-S Silver Matte Finish | 62,000 |
| 1999-P | 8,900,000 |
| 1999-D | 10,682,000 |
| 1999-S Proof | 2,543,401 |
| 1999-S Silver Proof | 804,565 |
Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages Continued
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 2000-P | 22,600,000 |
| 2000-D | 19,466,000 |
| 2000-S Proof | 3,082,483 |
| 2000-S Silver Proof | 965,421 |
| 2001-P | 21,200,000 |
| 2001-D | 19,504,000 |
| 2001-S Proof | 2,294,909 |
| 2001-S Silver Proof | 889,697 |
| 2002-P | 3,100,000 |
| 2002-D | 2,500,000 |
| 2002-S Proof | 2,319,766 |
| 2002-S Silver Proof | 892,229 |
| 2003-P | 2,500,000 |
| 2003-D | 2,500,000 |
| 2003-S Proof | 2,172,684 |
| 2003-S Silver Proof | 1,125,755 |
| 2004-P | 2,900,000 |
| 2004-D | 2,900,000 |
| 2004-S Proof | 1,789,488 |
| 2004-S Silver Proof | 1,175,934 |
| 2005-P | 3,800,000 |
| 2005-D | 3,500,000 |
| 2005-S Proof | 2,275,000 |
| 2005-S Silver Proof | 1,069,679 |
| 2006-P | 2,400,000 |
| 2006-D | 2,000,000 |
| 2006-S Proof | 2,000,428 |
| 2006-S Silver Proof | 1,054,008 |
| 2007-P | 2,400,000 |
| 2007-D | 2,400,000 |
| 2007-S Proof | 1,702,116 |
| 2007-S Silver Proof | 875,050 |
| 2008-P | 1,700,000 |
| 2008-D | 1,700,000 |
| 2008-S Proof | 1,405,674 |
| 2008-S Silver Proof | 763,887 |
| 2009-P | 1,900,000 |
| 2009-D | 1,900,000 |
| 2009-S Proof | 1,482,502 |
| 2009-S Silver Proof | 697,365 |
Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages Continued
Kennedy Half Dollar Mintages Continued
The mintages presented in the table below are subject to change and reflect most current information as of December 27, 2023.
| Issue | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 2020-P | 5,400,000 |
| 2020-D | 7,700,000 |
| 2020-S Proof | 511,148 |
| 2020-S Silver Proof | 363,179 |
| 2021-P | 2,300,000 |
| 2021-D | 3,400,000 |
| 2021-S Proof | 521,826 |
| 2021-S Silver Proof | 319,317 |
| 2022-P | 4,900,000 |
| 2022-D | 4,800,000 |
| 2022-S Proof | 400,013 |
| 2022-S Silver Proof | 296,425 |
| 2023-P | 30,200,000 |
| 2023-D | 27,800,000 |
| 2023-S Proof | 367,418 |
| 2023-S Silver Proof | 207,025 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The lowest-minted mint state Kennedy Half Dollars are the 2014-P and 2014-D High Relief Kennedy Half Dollars, which each have a mintage of 197,608. The lowest-minted Proof Kennedy Half Dollar is the 1998-S Matte Proof Kennedy Half Dollar, which has a mintage of 62,000.
The total mintage for the Kennedy Half Dollar is 4,244,169,947. Mintages for each issue of the Kennedy Half Dollar can be found by consulting the data above.
The U.S. Mint has struck a total of 4,244,169,947 Kennedy Half Dollars from 1964 to the present day.
The U.S. Mint has struck Kennedy Half Dollars at the Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point Mint facilities.
The U.S. Mint has struck 89 varieties of the Kennedy Half Dollar from 1964 to the present day.
