Kennedy Half Dollars 50th Anniversary 2014

In 2014 the Kennedy half dollar turned 50. The first halves with Gilroy Roberts's portrait of John F. Kennedy, which Roberts prepared within weeks of the President's death from his presidential medal portrait, were struck in 1964 with Frank Gasparro's Presidential Seal on the reverse. For the anniversary the Mint restored Roberts's original portrait, which had been altered over the years, and used it only on seven coins sold in three collector products. The regular 2014 halves keep the modern portrait.

All seven have Roberts's restored portrait and Gasparro's reverse. The mint mark sits below the portrait.

Gold proof (W)

Three-quarters of a troy ounce of .9999 fine gold, a proof from West Point, dated 1964-2014, the only anniversary coin with both dates. It went on sale August 5, 2014, at first with no limit, later capped at 75,000. After crowds at the Denver Mint on August 7, the Mint stopped selling it in person. It reported 73,772 sold when it declared the coin sold out in September 2015.

Four-coin silver set

Released October 28, 2014 at $99.95: four 90% silver halves, one from each mint, each in a different finish.

• 2014-W reverse proof: mirrored design on frosted fields, the reverse of a normal proof.
• 2014-P proof.
• 2014-S enhanced uncirculated: wire-brushed, laser-frosted and laser-polished areas.
• 2014-D uncirculated.

The limit was 300,000 sets, cut to 225,000 on November 24, 2014. Sales stood at 188,147 by December 21, 2014. Later totals differ: Wikipedia lists 218,783 of each coin, and NGC gives 190,228. The last Mint figure found is 218,036 sets in late November 2015, while the set was still on sale; no final Mint figure has been found, so the coin pages give none.

Two-coin clad set

Released July 24, 2014 at $9.95, with a 2014-P and a 2014-D copper-nickel half. A 200,000-set limit was added in October 2014, and by December 21 the set was 1,827 short of it.

• Portrait. The restored 1964 portrait differs from the modern one in the hair, eyes, nose, chin and cheek. A 2014 half from circulation, a regular Mint set or a regular proof set has the modern portrait; see the clad and silver proof Kennedy halves.
• Finish and mint mark. W gold proof, W silver reverse proof, P silver proof, S silver enhanced uncirculated, D silver uncirculated, and P and D clad uncirculated.
• Grading. NGC grades the S and D silver coins and both clad coins as specimens because of their surfaces.

Each silver set holds 1.44 troy ounces of silver across its four coins.