The Kennedy half dollar was first minted in 1964 in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — the coin’s obvious namesake. It was a commemorative issuance made in Kennedy’s honor, as SD Bullion outlined.
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While over four billion Kennedy half dollars were minted in the years following, the Type 1 variant — comprised of 90% silver — was only issued in 1964. Therefore, it seems fitting that most of the rarest and most valuable examples of this coin come from that year, or from years immediately thereafter.
Here below is a list of some of the most valuable Kennedy half dollars.
With the SP in the title specifying that this particular Kennedy half dollar was issued as part of a special mint set, these examples are regarded to be of the highest quality, according to collectors. Only five known instances of a PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Services)-graded SP68 are known to exist. Of these, just one has cracked the $150,000 sale barrier.
Per PCGS, a 1964 SP68 Kennedy half dollar sold at a 2019 Stack’s Bowers auction for $156,000. Further, while a higher-grade PCGS-graded SP69 example is shown to exist in the company’s archives, no auction to determine its value is shown via its records.
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Attention to detail is important in the numismatics world, and this case is no different. Introductory strikes of the 1964 Kennedy half dollar included a series of distinct markings — curved lines, in fact — above the ear, where the hair begins. According to SD Bullion, this “accented hair” variant can also be identified via an error in the lower left serif, on the I in “Liberty.”
The price record for this coin noted by SD Bullion was $45,600 as of December 2022, but in January 2024, a new record of $46,800 was set via a Heritage Auctions sale (per PCGS).
As CoinValueChecker indicated, the proof 1968 Kennedy half dollar was struck with a prominent “S” denoting its origins from the San Francisco Mint. Prior to 1968, the only proof Kennedy half dollar coins were minted in Philadelphia.
Collectors suggest that the 1968 proof coins coming out of San Francisco were superior in quality to those struck earlier in Philadelphia. As a result, it’s not particularly rare to find one in high-graded condition.
One such example — a deep cameo graded PF70 — was cited by CoinValueChecker as a top example of value, achieving $21,600 at a Heritage Auctions sale in November 2017. Since then, however, a new specimen has taken the crown. In June 2023, another deep cameo PF70 example sold for a record $24,000 at a Stack’s Bowers auction.
