1988-D 50C MS67 Certification #21286649, PCGS #6754

Type: Kennedy Half Dollar, Type 3, Copper-Nickel Clad (1971- ) Designer: Gilroy Roberts / Frank Gasparro Content: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel over a pure Copper center Weight: 11.30 grams Diameter: 30.61 millimeters Edge: Reeded (150 reeds) Mint: Denver Production Strikes: 12,000,096 General Type Description: Beginning in 1971, all silver was removed from the Half Dollar, in favor of the same copper-nickel clad alloy that had been in use on Dimes and Quarter Dollars since 1965. Mintages remained low relative to all other denominations, with the result that the Half Dollar was seldom used or seen in circulation (a situation that persists today). Though somewhat lengthy, this series is easy and affordable to collect as either circulation strikes, Proofs, or both. Some dates, such as 1987-P and D, 2001-P, 2002-P and D, and others were not issued for circulation but are available only in Mint sets, adding a bit of a challenge. Major varieties include a 1972 No “FG” and a 1974 Doubled Die Obverse. (Source:: Guth, Ron. PCGS CoinFacts) Exemplar Notes: Graded MS67 with only one graded higher (as of 5/2016), this was acquired 5/2011 from Vicki Pierce.

Jaime Hernandez

The 1988-D Kennedy Half Dollar is a scarcer issue than most dates from the same time frame. It has a mintage of about 12 million. Compare this to Kennedy Half Dollars from 1964-2001where these years on average have mintages around 20 million or so, with the exception of some key dates like the 1987-P or 1987-D.

The 1987-D Kennedy Half Dollar is common up to about MS65 condition. Examples in MS66 are a little harder to find but examples still exist in the thousands. In MS67 condition they are much more difficult to find and command a slight premium over MS66 examples. Anything grading higher than MS67 is considered rare.