1964 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1964

The Kennedy half dollar was introduced months after President Kennedy's assassination. It was the last year of 90% silver dimes, quarters and halves. The Mint kept striking 1964-dated silver coins well after the year ended to fight a national coin shortage.

New this year: the Kennedy Half Dollar.

How many coins were made in 1964

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 13,240,528,403 coins dated 1964 across 10 issues. That is 246% more than in 1963 (3,824,699,866). In 1965 the figure fell to 5,168,733,756.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

By mint: Denver 7,804,226,814 (59%, up from 2,674,683,866), Philadelphia 5,239,671,589 (40%, up from 1,150,016,000) and San Francisco 196,630,000 (1.5%, new this year).

Those coins held about 549,469,581 troy ounces of pure silver.

1964 coins by denomination

Cents: 6,447,646,500 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Lincoln Memorial Cent, up 155% on 1963. The scarcest is the 1964 (2,451,945,000) and the most plentiful the 1964-D (3,799,071,500).

Nickels: 2,811,969,160 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Jefferson Nickel, up 521% on 1963. The scarcest is the 1964 (1,024,672,000) and the most plentiful the 1964-D (1,787,297,160).

Dimes: 2,286,877,180 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, up 320% on 1963. The scarcest is the 1964 (929,360,000) and the most plentiful the 1964-D (1,357,517,180).

Quarters: 1,264,526,113 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Washington Quarter, up 503% on 1963. The scarcest is the 1964 (560,390,585) and the most plentiful the 1964-D (704,135,528).

Half Dollars: 429,509,450 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Kennedy Half Dollar, up 381% on 1963. The scarcest is the 1964-D (156,205,446) and the most plentiful the 1964 (273,304,004).

Every 1964 circulation issue at a glance

• 1964-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 156,205,446 struck, more than 94% of the series' 116 issues.
• 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar: 273,304,004 struck, more than 97% of the series' 116 issues, a famous date.
• 1964 Washington Quarter: 560,390,585 struck, more than 77% of the series' 144 issues, up from 74,316,000 in 1963.
• 1964-D Washington Quarter: 704,135,528 struck, more than 90% of the series' 144 issues, up from 135,288,184 in 1963.
• 1964 Roosevelt Dime: 929,360,000 struck, more than 65% of the series' 168 issues, up from 123,650,000 in 1963.
• 1964 Jefferson Nickel: 1,024,672,000 struck, more than 97% of the series' 146 issues, up from 175,776,000 in 1963.
• 1964-D Roosevelt Dime: 1,357,517,180 struck, more than 84% of the series' 168 issues, up from 421,476,530 in 1963.
• 1964-D Jefferson Nickel: 1,787,297,160 struck, the highest mintage of the series, up from 276,829,460 in 1963.
• 1964 Lincoln Memorial Cent: 2,451,945,000 struck, 25th lowest of 104 in the series, up from 754,110,000 in 1963.
• 1964-D Lincoln Memorial Cent: 3,799,071,500 struck, 47th lowest of 104 in the series, up from 1,774,020,400 in 1963.

Lincoln Memorial Cent: The Memorial reverse and the coin shortage

For the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears in 1959. A tiny statue of Lincoln is visible inside the building, so the cent shows his likeness on both sides. Mintages climbed above a billion at Denver every year of this era.

The main variety is the 1960 small date and large date. The Mint changed the date punch early in the year. Philadelphia small date coins are the scarcer issue. The 1960-D also has a small date over large date variety. A nationwide coin shortage in the early 1960s, blamed on vending machines and hoarding of silver coins, led the Mint to keep striking cents dated 1964 into 1965. Proofs were struck at Philadelphia through 1964. Red uncirculated coins are plentiful.

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Jefferson Nickel: Coin shortage years and no mint marks

Output grew rapidly through the late 1950s and early 1960s, led by Denver, which struck more than 280 million in 1962. A nationwide coin shortage in the early 1960s, blamed on vending machines, hoarding and a booming economy, led the Mint to strike more than 2.8 billion nickels dated 1964, with production of that date continuing into 1965.

From 1965 to 1967 the Mint removed mint marks from all coins to discourage hoarding. Special Mint Sets with satin finish coins replaced proof sets. In 1966 Felix Schlag's initials, FS, were added below the bust, more than 25 years after his design first appeared. Coins from this era are abundant and rarely carry a premium unless they show full steps, a strong proof-like finish or a notable error.

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Roosevelt Dime: Rising output and the last silver dimes

From 1956 only Philadelphia and Denver struck dimes for circulation and their combined output climbed almost every year. Denver passed 200 million in 1960 and reached about 421 million in 1963 as vending machines, a growing population and a national coin shortage drove demand. The 1958 Philadelphia issue of about 31.9 million is the smallest of these years.

The 1964 dimes broke every record, with more than 2.2 billion struck at the two mints. Rising silver prices led the Treasury to keep striking coins dated 1964 well into 1965 so that hoarders could not single out a final silver date. Proof dimes from the Philadelphia sets of these years are plentiful, though a 1960 proof with a doubled die obverse is a known variety. Every dime of the era is 90 percent silver, so even worn pieces are collected for their metal.

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Washington Quarter: Postwar silver to the end

Production slowed after the war. San Francisco made no quarters in 1949 and struck its last S-marked circulating quarters in 1954. The 1955-D, at 3,182,400, is the lowest mintage of these years. The 1958 Philadelphia run of 6,360,000 is also low. The 1950-D/S and 1950-S/D varieties show one mint mark punched over another and are the best known varieties of the period.

Mintages rose through the late 1950s and early 1960s, then exploded in 1964 when more than 1.26 billion were struck at Philadelphia and Denver. Quarters dated 1964 continued to be made into 1966 to frustrate hoarders. Proofs resumed in 1950 and topped one million in most years from 1957. Every quarter of these years is 90 percent silver and weighs 6.25 grams. Worn examples still turn up in old jars and are usually sold for their silver.

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Kennedy Half Dollar: The 90 percent silver memorial issue

Congress authorized the Kennedy half dollar in December 1963, weeks after the assassination. Gilroy Roberts adapted his presidential medal portrait for the obverse and Frank Gasparro designed the reverse based on the presidential seal. The coins were released in March 1964 and vanished from circulation almost at once as people kept them as mementos.

Philadelphia struck 277,254,766 and Denver 156,205,446, with 1964-dated halves still being made into 1965. This is the only circulating Kennedy half struck in 90 percent silver. Nearly four million proofs were made. The Accented Hair proof, struck from early dies with sharper hair detail, is the key variety of the year. Worn 1964 halves are still found and are worth their silver content. Uncirculated rolls are common because so many were set aside.

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Peace Silver Dollar: The 1964-D melt and the modern revival

No Peace dollars were struck from 1936 until 1965, when Denver produced more than 316,000 coins dated 1964 under a congressional authorization. Rising silver prices made the plan unpopular and all were ordered melted. None are known to exist legally. Any coin offered as a 1964-D Peace dollar should be treated as a fantasy piece.

The design returned in 2021 as a .999 fine silver collector coin from Philadelphia, recreating the high relief look of 1921. After a pause in 2022 caused by a silver blank shortage, Peace dollars dated 2023 and 2024 were struck at Philadelphia and San Francisco. These coins weigh 26.73 grams and were sold directly to collectors. Nearly all survive in pristine condition in their original packaging.

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