By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
The 1979 Kennedy Half Dollar was a well-made coin that is generally outshined by the debut of Susan B. Anthony Dollar. Neither denomination circulated much, but the small dollar coin was an immediate failure upon its introduction. The Kennedy Half Dollar, on the other hand, limps on to this day.
The United States Mint put major improvements into effect at all Mint facilities in 1979, and while these initiatives may not reflect on the coins struck during this calendar year, they did yield a positive impact in the well-being of the Mint employees who worked on the production floor. Specifically, it was in 1979 that the Mint launched its Industrial Hygiene program and began to make wide-scale efforts to reduce noise levels.
The 1979 Kennedy Half Dollar was the last half dollar struck at the Philadelphia Mint to not feature the “P” mintmark. Mintmarks were adopted in 1838 to identify coins that had been struck at one of the Mint’s non-Philadelphia branches. Starting in 1980, Mint Director Stella B. Hackel ordered that all Philadelphia coins except the Lincoln Memorial Cent would carry the “P” mintmark.
According to Mint records, 294 1979 Kennedy Half Dollars were reserved for the annual Assay.
How Much Is the 1979 Kennedy Half Dollar Worth?
The 1979 Kennedy Half Dollar was struck for and released into circulation, with 2,526,000 examples held back for inclusion in the United States Mint’s annual Uncirculated Coin Set. Most of the mintage likely survives, having been disbursed to various financial institutions or retained by folks who received them in change. Generally, local banks allow customers to purchase half dollars at face value, and by this means, one might secure a range of dates from the clad period.
Uncirculated singles are commonly offered for sale on sites like eBay and at local coin shops. These coins likely come from bags, rolls, or Mint Sets and sell for about $2 each. 1979 Uncirculated Coin Sets include one example of each denomination struck that year from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints and include $3.82 face value. These sets generally sell for $10 to $14 and can potentially include coins in Gem or better grades.
Registry set and certified coin collectors generally look for coins graded MS67 or better for this date as coins below this grade cost more to submit than they sell for.
While MS67 is no longer the top population grade for the issue, there is sufficient market data of MS67 coins over the past decade to note the glaring price discrepancy between coins graded by PCGS and NGC.
The record price paid at auction for a 1979 Kennedy Half Dollar is $3,487.50 for a PCGS MS68 sold on September 1, 2024, by GreatCollections.
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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Top Population: PCGS MS68 (2, 10/2024), NGC MS68 (4, 10/2024), and CAC AU55 (0:1 stickered:graded, 10/2024).
- PCGS MS68 #49903983: GreatCollections, September 1, 2024, Lot 1434988 – $3,487.50.
- PCGS MS67+ #50461626: GreatCollections, September 29, 2024, Lot 1659484 – View.
- PCGS MS67+ #47604144: GreatCollections, August 20, 2023, Lot 1422330 – View.
- PCGS MS67+ #04782613: “The Centurion Collection,” GreatCollections, April 8, 2018, Lot 536756 – View.
- PCGS MS67 #81668697: DLRC, October 13, 2024, Lot 793720 – View.
- NGC MS67 #1984977-001: eBay, July 14, 2024 – $179.99.
- NGC MS67 #6677906-006: Heritage Auctions, July 3, 2023, Lot 50140 – $216. Blue toning along periphery.
- PCGS MS67 #4863627: GreatCollections, August 12, 2018, Lot 610913 – View; GreatCollections, May 8, 2022, Lot 1156112 – View.
- PCGS MS67 #10161588: Heritage Auctions, July 28, 2020, Lot 29145 – $552.
- NGC MS67 #2727033-010: Heritage Auctions, November 5, 2019, Lot 21278 – $660.
- PCGS MS67 #60129030: Heritage Auctions, October 2, 2018, Lot 21507 – $504; Heritage Auctions, January 15, 2019, Lot 21796 – $240.
- PCGS MS67 #21174534: Heritage Auctions, September 27, 2016, Lot 27972 – $329.
- PCGS MS67 #08815899: Heritage Auctions, September 11, 2016, Lot 23350 – $223.25.
- PCGS MS67 #05392730: Heritage Auctions, November 3, 2015, Lot 21867 – $305.50.
- PCGS MS67 #5392730: Heritage Auctions, July 15, 2014, Lot 24508 – $423. Vennekotter Collection on insert.
- PCGS MS67 #21268096: Heritage Auctions, December 13, 2004, Lot 1438 – $253.
- PCGS MS67 #5357511: Heritage Auctions, November 8, 2004, Lot 1425 – $322.
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Design
Obverse:
The central motif is an effigy of the 35th President of the United States, the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A war hero and (at the time) the youngest person ever to serve as president, Kennedy was inaugurated on January 20, 1961, and assassinated on November 22, 1963. The nation’s grief was such that Congress and the Mint rushed through a design change on the half dollar denomination to commemorate him.
Atop the upper half of the rim is the inscription LIBERTY, with Kennedy’s hair covering the bottom portions of the letters “B”, “E”, and “R”. The date 1979 is cradled at the bottom of the coin, while the national motto IN GOD WE TRUST is inscribed in a straight line above the year but divided by the sharp truncation of Kennedy’s neck.
Gilroy Roberts’ initials are on the truncation line of Kennedy’s bust, above WE on the bottom right side of the coin.
Reverse:
Roberts’ assistant, Frank Gasparro, designed the reverse. He based the eagle on the Presidential Coat of Arms from the Seal of the President of the United States, which is based on the Great Seal of the United States. The Presidential Seal in its current form was finalized by President Harry S. Truman in 1945, though the number of stars on the seal (and hence the coin) went from 48 to 50 as Alaska and Hawaii entered the Union.
The heraldic eagle’s wings and legs are spread in four directions. The left talon (viewer’s right) holds arrows, a symbol of war, while the right claw (viewer’s left) grips an olive branch, a symbol of peace. It is tradition for the eagle to face one side or the other relative to national circumstances at the time of striking; in this instance, the eagle faces towards the olive branch despite America’s involvement in Vietnam and other conflicts around the world.
Frank Gasparro’s initials FG are between the eagle’s left leg and tail feathers.
A Union shield covers the eagle’s breast. Vertical bars representing the 13 red and white stripes of the American flag run down most of its face, representing the original 13 colonies of the United States. The top of the shield (a horizontal band is otherwise known in heraldry as a chief) features no stars.
Immediately above the eagle’s head is a scroll featuring the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. The design behind and above the eagle, which consists of 15 rays, nine stars, and a mass of clouds, is called the glory and is a common design element of both heraldry and an earlier period of numismatics.
The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA runs clockwise along the top rim of the reverse, while the denomination HALF DOLLAR runs counterclockwise along the bottom. Dots are between the two inscriptions at both ends. Surrounding the eagle is a ring of 50 stars, representing the 50 states of the Union at the time of the coin’s production.
Edge:
The edge of the 1979 Kennedy half dollar is reeded.
Designers
Gilroy Roberts was the ninth Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint, serving from July 22, 1948, to February 11, 1965. His work with the Franklin Mint caused the United States Mint to let him go. Roberts is best remembered for his design of the Kennedy Half Dollar obverse.
Frank Gasparro was an American medalist and coin designer. After serving as Gilroy Roberts’s assistant engraver, he became the 10th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, serving from 1965 to 1981. Besides the Kennedy Half Dollar reverse, Gasparro also designed the Lincoln Cent Memorial reverse, the Eisenhower Dollar obverse and regular reverse, and the Susan B. Anthony Dollar. (View Designer’s Profile).
1979 Kennedy Half Dollar Specifications
| Country: | United States of America |
| Year of Issue: | 1979 |
| Denomination: | Half Dollar (50 Cents USD) |
| Mintmark: | P (Philadelphia) |
| Mintage: | 68,312,000 |
| Alloy: | .750 Copper, .250 Nickel |
| Weight: | 11.34 g |
| Diameter: | 30.60 mm |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| OBV Designer: | Gilroy Roberts |
| REV Designer: | Frank Gasparro |
| Quality: | Business Strike |
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