USA ½ dollar Kennedy Half Dollar 1968
USA, Denver
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 202a |
| Mintage | 246,951,930 |
| Metal | Silver 0.400 |
| thickness | 2.15 mm |
| diameter | 30.6 mm |
| weight | 11.5 g |
Obverse:
Head of state
Description:
John F. Kennedy (35th President of the USA)
Creators:
Gilroy Roberts
IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Description:
Eagle (heraldry)
Creators:
Frank Gasparro (FG)
E PLURIBUS UNUM
FG
HALF DOLLAR
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
With the coin shortage officially over, mintmarks were restored to the nation's coinage commencing with 1968's production. The Denver Mint continued on as the sole provider of half dollars for circulation, and its D mintmark was now prominently displayed on the obverse at the truncation of Kennedy's neck. This issue is very common in Mint State up through the grade of MS-66, with finer pieces being quite rare. Lightly circulated coins are also plentiful. The number of certified prooflike (PL) examples is a bit higher than for previous silver-clad halves, but these coins are still rare and highly sought. A few DDO and DDR varieties may be found, the latter being quite minor. A single repunched mintmark (RPM) is also known, but it too is quite minor. An interesting feature of all 1968-D halves is that numeral 8 is much bolder than the others in the date. The master hub for this coin type was dated 1964 when new, and the final numeral was ground off the hub after completion of the 1964-dated dies. The final numeral of subsequent dates than had to be engraved by hand into each year's master die, and for 1968 this was done a bit too deeply.Read More
