Collecting US Silver Half Dollars

Collecting the 1943 Half Dollar: Highest Mintage Of The Walking Liberty Half Dollars

Andrew Spaeth — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:53:29 +0000

The 1943 half dollar had the highest mintage of the Walking Liberty Half Dollar series, with a total mintage of 77,986,000 coins minted at all 3 mints.

53,190,000 examples of the 1943 half dollar were struck at the Philadelphia mint, 11,346,000 were struck at the Denver Mint, and 13,450,000 were struck at the San Francisco Mint. You can tell which Mint branch struck a 1943 half dollar by looking for the mint mark on the reverse of the coin. It is located to the left of the eagle's feet. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark, Denver coins will have a D mint mark, and San Francisco coins will have an S mint mark.

The 1943 half dollar is a 90% silver coin that contains .3617 ounces of pure silver.

This means the coin will always be worth at least its weight in silver. This makes the 1943 half dollar and all Walking Liberty half dollars attractive from an investment standpoint because they are a great hedge against inflation. They will always have intrinsic value and will never be valued less than the spot price of the silver they contain.

The value of the 1943 half dollar remains constant across all the mint marks in lower grades, but differs significantly in the upper grades.

There is usually a significant jump in value between MS-60 and MS-65 examples in uncirculated grades. Here are the values for each mint mark:

1943 Half Dollar Value Philadelphia Mint:

G-4 $7.40 VG-8 $7.50 F-12 $7.00 VF-20 $8.04 XF-40 $10.20 AU-50 $13.00 MS-60 $30.00 MS-63 $55 MS-65 $150

1943 Half Dollar Value Denver Mint:

G-4 $7.40 VG-8 $7.80 F-12 $7.90 VF-20 $8.50 XF-40 $10.00 AU-50 $25.00 MS-60 $42.00 MS-65 $295

1943 Half Dollar Value San Francisco Mint

G-4 $7.40 VG-8 $7.80 F-12 $7.90 VF-20 $8.50 XF-40 $10.00 AU-50 $18.50 MS-60 $42.00 MS-65 $460

The 1943 half dollar also includes a double die obverse variety from the Denver Mint:

1943 D Double Die Obverse Value:

G-4 $7.60 VG-8 $7.50 F-12 $9.00 VF-20 $12.00 XF-40 $15.00 AU-50 $30.00 MS-60 $55.00 MS-65 $450

These 1943 half dollar coins are readily available and easy to purchase.

1943 WALKING LIBERTY HALF DOLLAR
US $7.99

1943 WALKING LIBERTY SILVER HALF DOLLAR
US $3.99

NICE ORIGINAL 1943 LIBERTY WALKING HALF DOLLAR
US $7.99

THREE SILVER HALF DOLLARS 1943 1963 D 1964
US $18.49

1943 WALKING LIBERTY SILVER HALF UNC U GRADE NR
US $4.96

1943 Walking Liberty Silver Half Dollar
US $5.13

U S COIN 1943 WALKING LIBERTY SILVER HALF DOLLAR
US $8.75

HALF DOLLAR “Liberty Walking Type” 1943 “fine”
US $4.89

BU 1943 WALKING LIBERTY SILVER HALF DOLLAR NR
US $19.38

HIGH AU 1943 S WALKING LIBERTY SILVER HALF DOLLAR NR
US $9.99

2 NICE WALKERS 1940 1943 90SILVER NO RESERVE
US $13.90

Walking Liberty Half Dollar 1943 S 90 Silver
US $6.95

Make sure to add a 1943 half dollar or two to your collection!

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Collecting The 1968 Half Dollar| Second Last Year For Silver Half Dollars In Circulation

Andrew Spaeth — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:52:51 +0000

The 1968 half dollar was the second last year that Kennedy Half Dollars contained silver in a circulation strike.

The circulation strikes for these 40% silver halves were all minted at the Denver Mint. The mint struck 246,951,930 examples of the 1968 half dollar, all having the D mint mark. This is the third highest mintage for silver Kennedy half dollars.

The San Francisco mint struck 3,041,506 proof examples of the 1968 half dollar, that were never released for circulation. These have the S mint mark. This was the first year Kennedy proofs were minted in San Francisco. Up until this date, all the proofs were minted at the Philadelphia Mint. These were meant for collectors and to be included in proof sets. If you find a 1968 half dollar with an S mint mark in circulation, it is likely that it was broken out of a stolen proof set and spent.

The 1968 half dollar contains about .1749 ounces of pure silver.

Multiplying this number by the spot price of silver will give you the bullion value of a 1968 half dollar. At the time of this post silver was trading at about $16 an ounce, making 40% silver half dollars coin worth $2.80 per coin.

Because of the introduction of clad coinage in 1965, the 1968 half dollar was frequently hoarded and not often circulated because it had silver content above its face value. As a result, most will be in a high grade, with fewer circulated coins showing up. Coins for collecting should be bought in a higher grade.

A popular way to collect the 1968 half dollar is by buying them by the roll.

A roll of these halves will contain 3.5 ounces of pure silver. Multiplying by the spot price will give you the value. At the time of this post the bullion value would have been $56 a roll. Uncirculated bank rolls will carry a premium above the bullion value.

Coin Stamp Panel 1968 D Silver Kennedy Half BU
US $9.00

196419651966196719681969 Half Dollar Coins
US $51.00

1968 S PROOF SILVER KENNEDY HALF
US $.99

PART SILVER 1967 1968 D KENNEDY HALF DOLLARS LOOK
US $2.62

6 silver BU Kennedys 1 1964 4 1965 and 1 1968 D
US $.99

1964 AND A 1968 D KENNEDY HALF DOLLARS
US $6.18

1964 1968 S 1969 S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar PF68 C UC
US $99.00

1968 Kennedy PROOF Uncirculated Halve Dollar
US $2.99

1968 D 40 SILVER KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR LK
US $2.99

1968 S 40 SILVER KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR GEM PROOF
US $3.99

Kennedy Half 1968 S 40 Silver Clad Proof
US $6.95

1968 D AU Kennedy Half Dollar
US $1.39

The 1968 half dollar is readily available on eBay both as single coins and in bulk rolls

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1964 Half Dollar|1964 Kennedy Half Dollars: Last Year For The 90% Silver Half

Andrew Spaeth — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:14:28 +0000

The 1964 half dollar would likely have been a Franklin half dollar had it not been for the unfortunate events of November 22, 1963.

1964 Kennedy half dollars were issued to commemorate the fallen president and the coin was designed just 5 days after his death. The Franklin half had only been in production 15 years and was not due for replacement for 9 more years.

The 1964 half dollar was released as a tribute to President Kennedy, and it marked the end of an era in coin collecting as well. The 1964 half dollar was hoarded by collectors as well as the average citizen due to the overwhelmingly positive sentiment for the late President. Then the US went off its silver standard in 1965 and this caused the 1964 Kennedy half dollars as well as all other silver coinage to rapidly disappear from circulation.

As a result of this, the 1964 half dollar is most often seen with little to no wear, with uncirculated examples being extremely common.

The 1964 Kennedy half dollars had a mintage of 277,254,766 coins at the Philadelphia Mint and 156,205,466 coins from the Denver Mint. Proofs were struck in Philadelphia. The coins are 90% silver and contain .3617 ounces of pure silver. Any circulated coins will be worth their silver content. In XF-40 they are valued at $5.75 and in MS-60 they are worth $6. In MS-65 this coin books for $20.

A popular way to buy the 1964 half dollar is by the roll.

An uncirculated 1964 half dollar bank roll will carry a premium over its silver value, and even circulated rolls will sell well as silver is very popular with the poor monetary policy of our government at this time. Buying the 1964 half dollar in quantity is a way to hedge against the inflation our government's runaway inflation is sure to bring.

1964 Kennedy Half Dollar D and FG markings uncir
US $8.05

1964 Kennedy half dollar certified PCGS Proof 69
US $68.50

A SHINNY 1964 KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR
US $5.00

JFK 1964 P Half Dollar in plastic case 90 Silver
US $5.01

1964 Silver Kennedy Half Dollar BU Lustery Gem
US $6.71

ALMOST PERFECT SILVER KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR 1964 D
US $4.25

VERY NICE 1964 P KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR
US $9.99

196419651966196719681969 Half Dollar Coins
US $51.00

1964 KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR CH GEM
US $6.99

1964 PROOF SILVER KENNEDY HALF
US $9.00

1964 Kennedy Half Dollar 90 silver 50 cent piece
US $7.49

LOT OF 6 1964 SILVER KENNEDY HALF
US $39.07

The 1964 half dollar is readily available on eBay.

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US Silver Half Dollars| Valuable Links To Our Past Heritage

Andrew Spaeth — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:36:49 +0000

Collecting US silver half dollars is a great way to link to our nation's past heritage.

It can also be a valuable hobby because even the ugliest most worn silver half dollars are worth the weight of the silver in them.

The US Mint minted silver half dollars from 1794 up till 1970. The silver half dollars minted from 1794 till 1836 were just over 89% silver. From the introduction of the bust silver half dollars in 1836 and up until 1964, these coins were 90% silver. Silver half dollars minted from 1965-1970 were 40% silver.

The first silver half dollars to be minted were the Flowing Hair variety. The mint struck 23,464 of these coins in 1794 and 299,680 in 1796. These half dollar coins are very rare and expensive and are not often seen by average collectors.

From 1796 to 1807 the Mint produced Draped bust silver half dollars, with none being struck in the years 1798-1800. These are also fairly uncommon coins with a number of unique die varieties. This is another type of half dollar coin that average coin hobbyists will not likely deal with.

From 1807 to 1839 the mint struck various of Capped Bust and Bust silver half dollars. These coins are more widely available but with average circulated coins selling for an average of $50 to well over $100 these are not coins that average collectors seek out.

From 1839 to 1891 the US mint produced several varieties of Seated Liberty silver half dollars. Average circulated coins of these varieties are more affordable in the $28 to $50 range but some of the dates, especially the later dates, are quite rare, so putting together a complete set may be difficult for the average collector.

From 1892 to to 1970 the US Mint produced the 4 types of silver half dollars that are the most popular & most collected.

These are the Barber Half Dollar, The Walking Liberty Half Dollar, The Franklin Half Dollar, And the Kennedy Half Dollar. These are the coins most average collectors are interested in and these are the ones this site will focus on.

All of these type silver half dollars from 1892 up to 1964 contain 90% silver, with each coin containing .3617 ounces of pure silver. The Barber and Walking Liberty coins are all worth more than their silver value, and care should be taken not to sell these as scrap bullion for this reason. Heavily circulated Franklin and 1964 Kennedy Halves will sell for their bullion value and do not carry much of a premium beyond that. When completing an entire collection of these coins, do so with the best grade coins you can find.

From 1965-1970 The Kennedy silver half dollars contained 40% silver.

These coins contained .1749 ounces of silver each and are not worth much more than their silver content. You can often find these silver half dollars along with the 1964 90% silver half dollars by going to local banks and buying up the rolled halves that they have. Many people do not realize that they were silver in these years. Often you can purchase them right out of the tellers till. The 1970 half dollar was not minted for circulation and was released only in US mint sets. If you find one in circulation it was likely broken out of a stolen Mint Set and spent.

Welcome to the world of collecting US silver half dollars! More posts coming soon...

1970 S KENNEDY UNCIRCULATED SILVER HALF DOLLAR SLABBED
US $14.27

1923 MONROE DOCTRINE CENTENNIAL HALF DOLLAR SILVER COIN
US $37.55

Lot 40 silver US half dollar Kennedy
US $74.11

1929 D Walking Liberty Half Dollar Coin 90 Silver
US $18.27

1900 BARBER HALF DOLLAR NICE DETAIL SILVER
US $6.50

1901 BARBER HALF DOLLAR NICE DETAIL SILVER
US $6.50

1936 DELAWARE TERCENTENARY CH BU SILVER HALF DOLLAR
US $189.50

1902 BARBER HALF DOLLAR NICE DETAIL SILVER
US $6.50

Kennedy Half Dollar Coin 1967 D 40 SILVER Prestine
US $2.32

2009 S Proof Silver Kennedy Half Dollar
US $10.50

Lot of 18 Franklin Half Dollars various dates Silver
US $122.50

1951s FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR 90 SILVER XF
US $6.95

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