To commemorate the assassinated president John F, Kennedy, the governing authorities at the time decided to launch a coin. It was later decided to put the late President’s portrait on the half-dollar coin in 1964. The half dollars minted in 1964 carried the same design and features till 1974.
Read on to discover more about the 1974 half dollar and have a better understanding of its value and particular features that make the coin worth collecting.
1974 Half Dollar Details
- Composition: Copper-Nickel Clad
- Face Value: $0.50
- Mintage: 283,274,000
- Weight: 11.34 grams
- Category: Kennedy Half-dollars
- Price: $0.5 to $2.8
- Reverse Designer: Frank Gasparro
- Mint: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco
- Mint Mark: No mint mark, S and D
- Fineness: 0.9
- Edge: Reeded
- Year of Minting: 1974
- Diameter: 30.6 mm
- Obverse Designer: Gilroy Roberts
Obverse Design
The heads side of the 1974 half-dollar has a portrait of John F. Kennedy facing to the left side of the coin. Around the coin’s rim, starting from the left side to the right, the legend Liberty is written in block letters. On the lower right side of the coin, ‘In God’ is written, whereas the remaining part of the phrase ‘We trust’ is written on the coin’s right side below the portrait’s neck.
At the bottom rim, the date 1974 is struck. You’ll see the initials GR from the artist Gilroy Roberts along the portrait’s neckline. The image of Kennedy was based on a presidential medal. At the same time, the 1964 version of the Kennedy half-dollar had two types, one with more details than the other coin.
Reverse Design
The seal of the United States President is depicted on the reverse side. The seal shows an eagle stretching its wings and claws in the air. The eagle is covered with a shield and has a banner on top of its head with the phrase E Pluribus Unum written on it. You’ll see thirteen puffs of clouds above the banner.
The eagle holds thirteen arrows in one claw and in the other, an olive branch. You’ll see another thirteen stars on the right side of the eagle’s head. Exactly 50 stars surround the seal portrait, leaving a curved space along the coin’s rim.
The upper rim of the coin, starting from the left, says the United States of America, whereas the lower part says Half Dollar. Two dots separate both legends on either side of the coin.
1974 Half Dollar Value Chart |
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| Mint Mark | Good | Fine | Extremely Fine | Uncirculated |
| 1974 half-dollar | $0.5 | $0.5 | $0.5 | $2.3 |
| 1974 D half-dollar | $0.5 | $0.5 | $0.5 | $2.3 |
| 1974 S half-dollar | $0.5 | $0.5 | $0.5 | $2.3 |
1974 Half Dollar Value and Varieties Guides
1974 Half-Dollar No Mint Mark Value
- Year of Minting: 1974
- Price: $0.5 to $2.5
- Diameter: 30.6 mm
- Quantity Produced: 201,596,000
- Edge: Reeded
- Face Value: $0.5
- Place of Minting: Philadelphia
- Mint Mark: No mint mark
- Mass: 11.34 grams
- Type: Kennedy Half-dollars
It’s the most common type of 1974 half-dollar produced with no mint mark. The Philadelphia mint produced 201,596,000 coins. The coins in good condition to extremely fine only sell for a little more than 50 cents, whereas the uncirculated coins sell for a few dollars.
However, the coins graded at MS 67 or higher hold value and sell for thousands. An MS 68 1974 half-dollar holds the record for selling at an auction for $8000. Likewise, another MS 67 piece was sold for $2300.
1974 D Half-Dollar Value
- Mass: 11.34 grams
- Quantity Produced: 79,066,000
- Place of Minting: Denver
- Face Value: $0,5
- Diameter: 30.6 mm
- Mint Mark: D
- Price: $0.5 to $2.5
- Edge: Reeded
- Year of Minting: 1974
- Type: Kennedy Half-dollars
The Denver mint produced the 1974 half-dollars with a D mint mark. While the coins below MS 65 don’t have much value, those graded MS 67 and above are valuable. The double die error is standard in these coins, which can increase the price of manifolds.
The coins with this error start from $50 and can reach a few hundred dollars. The MS 65 and 66 varieties start from $60 to $75, whereas the MS 67 graded coin costs around $200 to $300. Surprisingly, the 1974 D half-dollar with the DDO error is the most valuable. A similar coin was sold at an auction for $2467.5.
1974 S Half-Dollar Value
- Price: $0.5 to $5
- Place of Minting: San Francisco
- Mass: 11.34 grams
- Mint Mark: S
- Type: Kennedy Half-Dollar
- Face Value: $0.5
- Edge: Reeded
- Diameter: 30.6 mm
- Year of Minting: 1974
- Quantity Produced: 2,612,000
Around 2612000 half-dollars were minted in the San Francisco mint. The mint produced proofs from specially treated dies and burnished planchets to provide the first 50 to 100 coins with a mirrored finish. This finish is called the cameo effect, and these coins are worth a higher value.
However, only the coins sleeved in protective cases retain this finish. Unprotected coins eventually lose their shine when exposed to the environment over long periods. While you can easily purchase an MS 65 for $5.8, higher quantities like the PR 70 DCAM 1974 half-dollar is valued at $7900.
Also Read: Top 15 Most Valuable Kennedy Half Dollar Worth Money
1974 Half-Dollar History
John F. Kennedy was a remarkable president, recognized, loved, and respected worldwide. The unfortunate demise of John F. Kennedy in 1963 led to honoring of the assassinated president by circulating a currency in his name. While the authorities and the public agreed to honor the late President by putting his portrait on a coin, the President’s wife, Jackie O, specifically requested to use his portrait on the half-dollar.
Before Kennedy’s assassination, the U.S. mint was working to make a series of Presidential medals. The medal inspired the portrait of Kennedy he was supposed to receive. Two chief engravers from the mint designed the half-dollar. Frank Gasparro worked on the tails, whereas Gilroy Roberts worked on the heads side. Both designers have their initials struck on the coin sides they worked on.
The half-dollar also saw several composition changes. In 1964, these half-dollars were 90% silver, reduced to 40% from 1965 to 1970. The silver content was reduced in the coins because many silver hoarders started stocking the 1964 half-dollar and melted them to obtain the valuable metal.
In response to hoarding, the silver content was reduced to 40%. Eventually, silver was eliminated altogether to limit the hoarding of these coins and to keep them in circulation. The 1974 half-dollar has a composition of 91.6% copper and 8.34% nickel. Nowadays, half-dollars are still produced with compositions of silver and gold and are minted for collectors.
When the Kennedy half dollars were released, the coins became popular and saw huge queues of people at the mint to purchase a Kennedy half-dollar. Initially, 70,000 coins were minted to circulate in public, which increased later. The treasury later decided to increase the coin’s production but failed, only because these coins were hoarded due to speculation.
The silver from the coin was removed and almost three times the amount of coins were released in 1965. In 1969, the authorities decided to completely remove the silver from the half-dollar and replace it with a copper-nickel mix.
1974 Half Dollar Grading
Knowing how much the coins are worth is critical if you are interested in selling or buying. The grading of coin aid in understanding the coin’s value and making an informed decision.
These grades can start at a price that is the same as their face value and reach thousands for pieces in untouched condition.
1974 Half-Dollar Errors
The value of a coin increases if it has an error. Here are the most common 1974 half-dollar errors.
1. 1974 D Half Dollar DDO Error
The DDO error in the 1974 D half-dollar is the most common. In this error, the die is struck on the planchet multiple times, creating another outer boundary around some letters. It occurs when the die fails to strike at the same spot, leaving a doubling effect.
This effect will be visible around the letters. A DDO error 1974 D coin with heavy wear can sell for over $40, whereas an MS 65 grade coin sells for $200. Pieces graded MS 66 easily sell for $450, and the price keeps increasing as the grade increases.
2. 1974 Clipped Half-Dollar Error
During the coin minting, if an edge of the coin gets clipped, it’s considered an error. It mostly occurs in the mint due to faulty tools. These clipped coin errors don’t have much value and sell much cheaper than others.
3. 1974 Half Dollar Broadstruck Error
The broaskstruck error is rare and can increase the coin’s value by hundreds of dollars. The reeded edges of the coin are made using a three-piece collar which holds the coins in place and makes the imprint.
However, if any of the collars slip from its place, the coin becomes flattened and spills over to the space where the collar is absent. A poor quality MS 60 1974 coin with broadstruck error sells for over $125.
4. 1974 Half Dollar on $5 Taiwan Planchet
Every coin has a specific planchet. However, this error occurs if one coin is minted on the planchet of another coin with a different denomination. Likewise, some of the 1974 half dollars were struck using the $5 Taiwan planchet. As these coins were made accidentally, they have immense value. An uncirculated coin with this error can sell for more than $500.
1974 Half Dollar FAQs
What is the most expensive 1974 half-dollar?
The 1974 half dollars sell slightly over their face value and might even sell for 10 to 20 dollars. However, coins with DDO errors or a combination of several errors are worth hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars.
Where is the mint mark on the 1974 half-dollar?
The mint mark on the 1974 half-dollar is located near the eagle’s tail to the right side. While the Denver mint has a D, the San Francisco mint uses an S. The half dollars with no mint mark are mostly minted in Philadelphia. Similarly, the designer’s initials are also present on each side of the coin.
What is the rarest half-dollar?
The 1921 S Walking Liberty is the rarest half-dollar. The half dollar is a rare find. While poor-quality coins can be bought for a few hundred dollars, the graded pieces sell for thousands. An MS 66 1921 S coin was sold in 2016 for over $188,000. There are also several other half-dollars that in higher grades, are sold for the same value.
The 1838 Philadelphia half-dollar is an extremely rare piece. Only two pieces have been reported to sell at auctions for $632,500.
Is the 1974 half dollar silver?
The 1974 half-dollar is a mix of copper and nickel. The coin doesn’t contain silver. The change in composition occurred when people started hoarding the currency, limiting its circulation. The 1964 half-dollar had 90% silver, whereas coins minted for coming several years had a 40% silver content. The mint authorities decided to eliminate silver altogether and introduced a copper-nickel mix to use. Later, the half-dollar was minted in silver and gold compositions but these coins were only meant for collectors.
Which Kennedy Half Dollars are valuable?
1993 S proof, 1994 S proof, 2018 S proof, and 1995 S proof half dollars are worth $35 to $45. Likewise, the 2014 W silver reverse proof half dollar is valued at $60 to $70. The 1998 S silver frosted matte finish coin is over $100 to $150. The 2019 S enhanced reverse proof is also worth $100 to $120.