1969 Kennedy Half Dollar

In 1969, Kennedy half dollars were minted at both the Denver and San Francisco mints, and include mintmarks from both facilities. This fact runs counter to the situation just a couple years earlier, when mintmarks were banned from U.S. coins to deter collectors, who had been blamed by the U.S. government for creating a coin shortage during the mid 1960s.

1969 Kennedy half dollars are not particularly scarce in the absolute sense, as 129,881,800 were minted for circulation, though these were all minted at the Denver mint. The San Francisco mint struck Kennedy half dollars, but all of these were proof coins, which were included in that year’s proof sets for coin collectors.

However, as 1969 Kennedy half dollars are composed of an alloy that’s 40 percent silver, these coins have been widely hoarded, and are extremely difficult to find today even in bank rolls. In fact, generally speaking, very few half dollars circulate in pocket change these days.

When silver prices hover at around $20 per ounce, you can expect to pay about $4 for an uncirculated example of a 1969 Kennedy half dollar. 1969 proof Kennedy half dollars are worth around $7 each. Both are readily available from a coin dealer, and are also found in 1969 proof sets and mint sets.