The Key-Date 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar
and the Mystery of the Missing 1970 Kennedy Halves

The Kennedy half dollar was an instant success. When it debuted in 1964, a whopping 429.5 million were struck for circulation.

With a first-year mintage of nearly half a billion coins, it’s not surprising mintage dropped the following year, to 65.8 million. But it jumped back up to over 108.9 million in 1966. And for the next decade, every year hundreds of millions of Kennedy halves were struck for circulation.

Well… almost every year.

In 1970, a scant 2.15 million circulation-quality Kennedy half dollars were minted. That’s less than 2% of the previous year’s mintage, and less than 1.4% of the following year’s. In fact, it’s nearly half a million less than the number of 1970 Kennedy half dollar Proofs!

What’s more, none of the coins were struck by the Philadelphia Mint. They were all minted in Denver. And despite being circulation grade, not one was released into circulation.

As a result, the 1970-D Kennedy half dollar became a sought-after Key Date for the series.

But why did this happen? Why were so few half dollars minted, and why only in Denver?

And what happened to the 1970-D Kennedy half dollars that were struck?

When in doubt, blame Congress…

There’s an old saying: “When in doubt, blame Congress.” It might not always be fair. But it is in this case.

Just five years earlier, the composition of U.S. half dollars had changed from 90% silver to silver clad. But silver prices continued to rise.

As so, Congress was considering new coinage legislation.

This time, the silver would be removed entirely. Instead, the once-silver coins would be minted in a new, copper-nickel clad composition.

Of course, there were some bumps in the road. Some argued the non-silver coins were unconstitutional. Congress was technically authorized to coin money only in silver and gold. But that was likely a moot point.

After all, we already had official U.S. coins struck in copper and nickel. The real question was, would the public accept them?

The debate dragged on and on. Then on some more, as things in Washington tend to do. And while it did, the U.S. Mint held off on striking half dollars… waiting to learn what composition it should use.

Finally, the mint could not wait any longer…

The Kennedy half dollar was still relatively new, and incredibly popular among both the public and collectors alike. The coins were needed. So eventually, the mint made the call and went to work.

But due to the late start, relatively few were minted. And they were struck just for collectors.

The Denver Mint coined 2.15 million 1970-D Kennedy half dollars – just enough to fill orders for that year’s official U.S. Mint Sets.

As it turned out, Congress did finally pass the legislation authorizing the new clad coinage. But in typical Washington style, it did so at the last minute – on the last day of the year.

Finding Key-Date 1970-D Kennedy half dollars for your collection

The 1970-D Kennedy half dollar is a Key Date for the series. And as such, it’s highly sought after by collectors.

Which is understandable. There are, after all, far more collectors than available coins.

But that doesn’t mean they have to be hard to find.

Littleton Coin Company maintains one of the largest inventories of coins, paper money and collecting supplies. We’ve been serving collectors since 1945. And each year, we spend over $50 million buying coins and collections.

So there’s a good chance we have just what you’re looking for. Including Key-Date 1970-D Kennedy half dollars, which you can find here while supplies last.

Until next time,

Happy Collecting!

P.S. If you like Kennedy half dollars, check out Littleton’s no-obligation Kennedy Half Dollar Club that brings the coin store to your front door. Littleton also has a free checklist to help you build your collection. You can download it here. 

Sources

Yeoman, R.S. (Garrett, Jeff, Sr. Editor). A Guide Book of United States Coins, 78th edition. © 2024 Whitman Publishing

Littleton’s Collectors Guide to Kennedy Half Dollars. © 2023 Littleton Coin Company.

Numismatic Guarantee Corporation. “NGC Coin Explorer: 1970 D 50C MS.” Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/half-dollars/kennedy-half-dollars-1964-date/16713/1970-d-50c-ms/

Guth, Ron. “Type 2, Silver Clad” Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS). Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/category/half-dollars/kennedy-half-dollar/type-2-silver-clad-1965-1970/1642