Kennedy Date Set And Its Story

Hey @Econbrony thanks a lot, it has been a labor of love. I was a teenager in Dallas when President Kennedy was shot, but I would have admired him no matter where I lived. It was a sad time, but really coincidental to how I made my decision to concentrate on Kennedy halves. I just looked around at all the modern series to see which ones I thought had the most character, the most appealing denominations (dimes are too small for my eyes and the FS Jefferson thing is just so Done), the most varieties, and the Kennedy halves stood out from all the rest. Not to mention that Walter Breen wrote in his 1988 Encyclopedia that he thought the Kennedy halves would soon be phased out ... here we are 27 years later, and the series is still going strong. The Complete Varieties Registry Set, BU and Proof, has more than 300 entries now!

Note that there are three No FG varieties, the 1972-D No FG, the 1982-P No FG, and the 1966 SMS No FG. The 1972-D is by far the most difficult in high grade. There is only one MS64 and the guy wants a hefty amount for it. My MS63 is one of three in that grade.

The good pictures in my Registry Sets are by Todd Pollock of BluCC Photos, the lousy pictures are by me. I basically got him to photograph the first half of my set and someday *when I get through upgrading* I want to have him shoot the later half as well. Happy collecting!

Best Regards,

George

The Kennedy set is a great set since it can be completed and so much can be learned in the process. Starting with circulating coins just adds to the excitement and learning possible. Most of the Gems can be found at very low cost in mint sets and some of them are so common that it provides incentive to look foir the toughies. The '72-D is remarkably common but even the toughest like the '82-P can be found with patience. This set now spans more than half a century and has undergone subtle and massive changes yet retains the original design. No other US series has so many different metallic and production methods.

It's a great set and best of luck in your collecting.

Hi Darth Morgan,

Thats awesome you got the 2015 silver proof already :) I have yet to get any of the coins from 2014 and 2015 so far. I strongly recommend getting the 1998 S matte. Its a great addition to a Kennedy collection. Mine is graded MS 69 by ANACS and I love it.

My collection is in coin flips and pages in a binder for the very reason that I can't find an album that has all the spots I need. It doesn't help that I keep adding different varieties that I want to the collection :P

My wife reminded me today that not every photo has to be a work of art lol I was practicing with my camera today and took a few pics of my 1998 S Mattee.

Actually I commend you cause you have basically covered and explained the reasons why all who collect the Kennedy halves do so. Are you going for the Kennedy Gold Half. I will say it is a beautiful coin.

EconBrony,

Collecting Kennedy half dollar varieties can be fun and at the same time frustrating! Try to find a copy of James Wiles' book, "THE Kennedy half dollar BOOK, An Attribution and Pricing Guide" for a reference book but in the mean time bookmark this link and study at least the written descriptions of the different Doubled Dies: http://www.varietyvista.com/CONECA%...Listings.htm

You may want to navigate around the web site, "Variety Vista" for other information too.

I started collecting Kennedy half dollars with my son back in 2003 on his seventh birthday and after a few years we also asked "what is next" when upgrades started getting fewer and fewer so we turned to the variety side of the set to keep the interest alive. There are still approximately 100 varieties we are still hunting for but our variety set can be seen here: http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/sho...aspx?sc=1165

a few years ago, when finding new varieties slowed down, we turned to the ERROR side of the series. A few of the errors we have can be seen in this set: http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/sho...aspx?sc=2045

Or if you want to view the errors in the new digital album that PCGS has started: http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/Alb...wcaseid=2045

How ever you decide to collect, just remember to have FUN and do it your way.

Happy hunting,
Tim

Looks like I'll be stinking to the websites for a bit. THE Kennedy half dollar BOOK, An Attribution and Pricing Guide is out of print it seems. I'll have to keep an eye out for it on the online used book stores.