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 Replies: 61 / Views: 9,795 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
OK. Given the number of posts in the last couple months, a lot of people, new and experienced, are a bit confused between the 13 different Kennedy halves for the 50th anniversary year. So here is a picture guide. I am putting the pics in an order so you can compare the P&D types. I hope this helps. To start. There are 6 regular annual issue coins. Regular and silver proof, P&D mint set and P&D circ strike. These are the greatly changed current profiles. Then we have the 7 50th Anniversary coins. The gold, the P&D clad, and the 4 silver coins, the W Reverse Proof (RP), the P proof, the S Enhanced Uncirculated (EU) and the D Uncirculated. The number one characteristic that distinguishes these coins is that they are the original design from 1964. Higher relief, less detailed hair, vastly different jaw line and cheek bones and ear. Lets take a look. To start, the P&D coins... These are the P&D circulation strike coins. These are made the same as any other circ coins, even though they are only available in rolls and bags from the mint.  Now, the P Mint Set coin. Mint set coins are different from the above circ strikes in that they are struck slower and under higher pressure and are not sorted in huge machines and bins, therefor are of higher quality. The pic after is the P 50th Anniversary clad coin. I think the differences I mentioned above will show themselves clearly...   Now here the D mint set and the D Anniversary...  Those are the four that seem to cause the most confusion. Next, the regular S proof and the silver S Proof followed by the P sil proof from the 50th ann set. The clearly obvious difference... the P MM.    The remaining 3 coins from the 4 coin set have no other coins comparable. First, the D mint SILVER unc coin. The first 90% silver coin to come from the Denver mint since 1964...  The S EU is obviously different and I love this coin...  And the W RP. Incredible...  Last, but certainly not least, the gold coin. Now, people have mentioned plated fakes being passed off. This will ONLY work with someone completely clueless to coins at all. The gold coin is the only one with a dual date, 1964-2014. No other Kennedys have that. And there is no MM on the obverse. The W mm is on the reverse of the coin.   So there you go. Please let me know if I missed something or was not clear. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5828 Posts |
Wow, this is great! Nice work, looks goo to me!  |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
Quote:
The S EU is obviously different and I love this coin I have been a fan of Kennedy halves for a long time , I have a date set with P and D coins plus a few proofs from 1964 to 2014. However the S EU is an absolute Shokker , Looks like it has been smashed with a heavy grit belt sander   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
608 Posts |
This is great, I can see the details around the eyes that makes it easy to tell them apart.
Thanks for putting this together and sharing, its what makes this site so great.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4588 Posts |
Thanks!
While "they are struck slower and under higher pressure and are not sorted in huge machines and bins, therefor are of higher quality." that is too subjective a statement to be able to differentiate them outside of the mint set packaging... is there any die characteristics or such that would reliably tell the Mint set coin from the circulation strike?
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8515 Posts |
The real question is how did you get VACookey to let you photograph her gold coin ?  Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5029 Posts |
Nice post and thank you...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2815 Posts |
Great post, Smoke. Isn't it amazing how the portrait on the high relief coins actually looks like Kennedy? The "modified" design that has been used for years looks more like a caricature. Too bad they can't switch back to this high relief design. I can only imagine that the mint would sell many more rolls and bags if this switch were to happen. I know I would buy them every year if they did this.
Edited by Darth Morgan
12/07/2014 12:59 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4409 Posts |
Excellent guide to illustrate the differences thanks for sharing this smokeriderdon. -MV |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1037 Posts |
Smokeriderdon you the Man! Thanks for the smokin' pictures. If only I could afford the gold Kennedy, otherwise I have the same coins.
Though your S-minted EU does have those striations across JFK portrait, the background has more EU effect than mine, which is more proof-like. When I open the set I thought the mint made a mistake and sent me 2 proofs, but then I see all the appropriate mint marks.
Thanks again.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3755 Posts |
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The real question is how did you get VACookey to let you photograph her gold coin ?  Yeah, she keeps saying it is hers when I die. Kind of makes me worry.  Quote:
Isn't it amazing how the portrait on the high relief coins actually looks like Kennedy? Right? Kennedys are my favorite modern coin, but the new design? Blech. I agree, they should go back to it after this. Quote:
is there any die characteristics or such that would reliably tell the Mint set coin from the circulation strike? Unfortunately, no. Once they come out of the packaging, there is no way to know. But if I was a betting man, I would money that any 68 or higher are from a mint set. Quote:
Though your S-minted EU does have those striations across JFK portrait, the background has more EU effect than mine, which is more proof-like from what I have been reading, this one seems to be really variable with the finish. Seems like different dies are producing somewhat different finishes. A lot of people dont like it. I love it. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
Thanks for theses fantastic pictures, smokeriderdon! Quote:
The first 90% silver coin to come from the Denver mint since 1964 The 1982-D George Washington Commemorative Uncirculated Half-Dollar is 90% silver, as are a number of modern commemorative Uncirculated Silver Dollars made at the Denver Mint (including the 2001-D American Buffalo, a perennial collector favorite). That said, this JFK appears to be the first 90% silver coin from Denver since 1964 that is not specifically issued as a Commemorative. Your photo of the Enhanced coin is the best yet to show some resemblance to how they actually look in hand. Edited by DNA
12/07/2014 4:36 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
OK, the first non commemorative 90% silver coin since 1964.
Nit picker. :p LOL
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Pillar of the Community
United States
927 Posts |
Smokeriderdon,
Thanks for the pictures and explanations on the differences. I didn't realize that there were differences between circulation strike and mint set and 50th anniversary set P and D clad coins. Interesting.
I cannot afford the gold piece but I did get 2 of the silver sets. There are some on this forum who have stated they do not like the S mint EU coin. I am not one of these. Of the 4 coins in the silver set, the S EU is my favorite. On both of my sets the S EU has a satiny finish to the field and it clearly different from the proof P mint coins. The contrast is noticeable and is much better than the D mint silver coin also (which I also like).
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
smokeriderdon's pictures show why I like the P-Proof.
When it's side-by-side with the standard S-Proofs, the difference in the obverses is dramatic. Poor JFK lost his eyeball over the years as the relief lowered...
I'm still wondering about those supposedly DMPL slabbed Enhanced JFK's, because the "fogged" effect (like it or not) intentionally does not show clear reflections. (now that I've seen enough photos like Don's to confirm that the typical example does look like mine).
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Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
Excellent post. |
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Replies: 61 / Views: 9,795 |
Posted 12/07/2014 01:03 am
