President John F. Kennedy was one of the most influential people during his lifetime and has similarly gone on to transform and inspire millions of lives after his death. The US Mint saw fit to pay homage to the democratic revolutionary on more than one occasion by putting his face on a number of different coins. The 50 Cent coin is equally important when it comes to coin collectors in Canada. So let’s take a closer look at this significant specimen.

The Kennedy 50-Cent Coin Through the Years

First issued in 1964, the mintages for Kennedy Half Dollars have widely varied during the course of the series. The first year of issue saw a large number of coins being struck, which also happened to be the final year that the composition of 90% silver was used for circulation. In 1976, another spike occurred when a special reverse design was used to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial.

In the following years, mintage levels would experience a general decline that followed the decline of the use of the denomination within circulation. As a result of such declining demand, the half dollars minted between 2002 and now were not struck for circulation, but only produced in very small quantities for the purpose of satisfying demand from collectors. Two other instances when low mintage issues of the series occurred were in 1970 and 1987, at which times the half dollars were only issued within Mint Sets.

Sought-After Specimens

The 1964 “Accented Hair” Kennedy Half Dollar is one of the most notable varieties of the series and only exists for the proof version of the coin. It is not uncommon for collectors who are searching for a complete set of proof coins to include this variety in their collection. The design was modified shortly after production began in the first year of issue for the Kennedy Half Dollar. It was rumored that Jacqueline Kennedy disliked the details of the hair above her husband’s ear, which was the cause for the modification. Another theory suggests that the facilitation of production was the reason for the changes. Either way, a low mintage variety was the end result of the removal of heavy incuse lines in Kennedy’s hair.

According to some estimations, between 1-3% of the total mintage of proof 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars are of the accented hair variety, which would suggest a total population that ranges anywhere from 40,000 to around 120,000 coins. As a result, the 1964 Proof Kennedy 50 Cent coins trade for a premium above regular versions. In particular, the Proof 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar with “accented hair” can be difficult to find with cameo or deep cameo contrast.

On the Market for Interesting Coin Pieces? Check out Colonial Acres Coins

Whether you’re looking to get your hands on pristine Canadian 50 Cent Coins or Proof 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars, visiting Colonial Acres Coins is the best place to start. Home to a professional and experienced team of expert numismatists, Colonial Acres is THE resource to go to if you’re in need of interesting coin pieces, paper notes, appraisals, consignment or simple and knowledgeable information and advice. Stop by Colonial Acres today and enrich both your coin collection and knowledge on coins.