Collecting The 2021 Kennedy Half Dollar

The Kennedy Half Dollar has long been a popular collector coin, going right back to its release in 1964. Millions of Americans clamored over the half dollars honoring the late John F. Kennedy, the young United States president who was assassinated in 1963. The early demand for the Kennedy Half Dollar in the mid-1960s led to the virtual disappearance of halves from circulation by the 1970s and ‘80s, even though the United States Mint continued striking the denomination for circulation through 2001. Along with temporary production hiatuses on circulating half dollars in 1970 and 1987, the U.S. Mint had never gone more than a year without striking Kennedy Half Dollars until the first decades of the 21st century.

Then came 2002, the first year in a stretch of 20 that the U.S. Mint struck Kennedy Half Dollars only for numismatic purposes. Collectors, and the entire American numismatic community, became so accustomed to the limited production parameters of the Kennedy Half Dollar that the hobby was stunned when, in 2021, something changed. The U.S. Mint began striking Kennedy Half Dollars for circulation again for the first time in a generation.

Many have scratched their heads, especially given that few, if any, Kennedy Half Dollars struck since 2021 have been turning up at the places coins usually do – in change at the local fast-food restaurant or convenience store, for example. No official reasons have been given as to exactly why the 2021 Kennedy Half Dollars were struck for circulation. Yet, 2021 Half Dollars have been struck in respectably high numbers. The Philadelphia Mint struck 5,100,000 circulation strikes, while Denver issued 7,700,000.

What does this mean for collectors? For one, it gives them a glimmer of hope that they could land 2021 Kennedy Half Dollars in circulation; though this is more likely realized in the form of roll searching than by using cash to buy something at the store with an expectation of change at the end of the purchase transaction. Collectors can also buy 2021-P and 2021-D Kennedy Half Dollars from PCGS Authorized Dealers.

As for collecting opportunities, there are many set categories on the PCGS Set Registry that accommodate the 2021 Kennedy Half Dollars. Registry Set categories cater to a wide range of cost thresholds and levels of challenge. No matter which you choose, the release of 2021 Kennedy Half Dollars for circulation – along with later dates reportedly making their way into channels of commerce – produce a new wrinkle for fans of this popular modern series.