By 1971, all silver was extracted, leaving a coin that was mostly copper with a thin layer of nickel to mimic that silver surface. The half dollar stayed silver at first though its proportion dropped from 90% to 40% in 1965. This 1960s coin shortage made the mint adopt clad coins. Others hoarded the coins for sentimental reasons because the recently departed JFK was such a beloved soul. But as silver prices shot up, people hoarded silver coins for their melt value. She didn’t like the hairline, so the coin was minted in two variants based on her comments.
Except one from his widow, who we fondly call Jackie O. JFK had approved these designs before his death, so there was no disagreement on his depiction. The Kennedy Half Dollar was an urgent brief, so the mint used previously existing designs from the Presidential Medal. The half dollar is a bulky coin, and it’s mostly used for slot machines. Over the years, the half dollar has had multiple designs including Flowing Hair, Draped Bust, Capped Bust, Seated Liberty, Barber, Walking Liberty, Franklin, and finally, the famous Jack Kennedy Half Dollar. Let’s look into the background of this often neglected denomination so we can reliably validate the true 1972 Half Dollar Value. And the 1972 Half Dollar is a JFK as well. It first appeared in 1794, and its current version features JFK – John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The half dollar is a 50-cent coin that has gone through numerous changes throughout its lifetime.
