1974 Kennedy Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 201,596,000 made
- Mintage
- 201,596,000
- Metal
- Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel
- Weight
- 11.34 g
- Diameter
- 30.61 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar worth?
In circulated condition it's worth face value. Only uncirculated coins with full original luster, or a recognized variety, carry a premium.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A known variety for the date: 1974-D Doubled Die Kennedy Half Dollar
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar rare?
- No. With 202 million made, it's one of the most common Kennedy Half Dollars.
- Is the 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar silver?
- No. It's copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel. Halves dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Kennedy halves from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar?
- On the obverse, below Kennedy's portrait and above the date. No mint mark means Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1974 are scarcer?
- The 1978 at 14,350,000, the 1977 at 43,598,000, the 1973 at 64,964,000, plus 3 more. So the 1974 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar coins were made?
- 201,596,000.
What to check on your 1974
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Look for the 1974-D Doubled Die Kennedy Half Dollar (it's on Denver coins, not this one).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1974-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof (2,612,568 made) is the one to compare with.
- A face that's fully copper colored could be a missing clad layer error. Patchy discoloration is usually damage.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the hair above Kennedy's ear and the center of the eagle on the reverse.
With 202 million made, the 1974 still turns up in everyday change. Keep yours only if it looks uncirculated or shows a variety; otherwise it's worth face value.
The story of the 1974
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1974: 201,596,000 coins, about 3.1 times the 1973 run. After that, Philadelphia didn't make another until 1976.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1974-D (79 million).
Across Philadelphia's 58 Kennedy Half Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 2008-P with 1,700,000 made. The 1974 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1970s it's 14th smallest of 17, between the 1971 (155 million) and the 1976 (234 million).
Copper-nickel clad and the bicentennial reverse (1971 to 1976)
Silver was dropped in 1971 and the half took the same copper-nickel clad composition as the dime and quarter, weighing 11.34 grams. Philadelphia returned to half dollar production that year. Denver struck more than 302 million in 1971. A 1974-D doubled die obverse shows clear doubling in IN GOD WE TRUST.
No halves are dated 1975. Coins struck in 1975 and 1976 carry the dual date 1776-1976 with Seth G. Huntington's view of Independence Hall on the reverse. San Francisco made 40 percent silver versions for collector sets in addition to clad proofs. Bicentennial halves were struck in enormous numbers, more than 520 million for circulation, so they remain common. Collectors seek the silver versions and sharp uncirculated clad coins.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1974
With copper prices rising, the Mint struck experimental aluminum cents dated 1974. Nearly all were destroyed and they were never issued.
How to recognize it
Gilroy Roberts' portrait shows John F. Kennedy facing left with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST below and the date at the bottom. The reverse, by Frank Gasparro, is based on the Presidential seal: an eagle holding arrows and an olive branch surrounded by a ring of 50 stars. The mint mark was on the reverse in 1964 and has been below Kennedy's neck since 1968.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Kennedy Half Dollar (1964–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1974 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 201,596,000 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | Copper core clad in 75% copper / 25% nickel |
| Weight | 11.34 grams |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Gilroy Roberts (obverse); Frank Gasparro (reverse) |
Other 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 Kennedy Half Dollar | 201,596,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974-D Kennedy Half Dollar | 79,066,300 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1974-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof | 2,612,568 | Proof | – |
Mintage: Kennedy half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.