Heritage’s Sept. 8 auction of a 1964 Kennedy half dollar with a Special Mint set finish, graded SMS Mint State 67 by Professional Coin Grading Service, for $47,000 has shined a spotlight on the Kennedy half dollar series.

Today, few people handle Kennedy half dollars daily in their pocket change, but collectors covet rare examples in top grades and spend substantial sums to acquire the finest examples.

Here is one of three we're profiling in this week's Market Analysis that have sold at recent auctions that show the current strength for grading-service registry-set quality coins.  

The Lot:

2012-D Kennedy half dollar, PCGS MS-68

The Price:

$1,116.25

The Story: 

Lest one think that four-figure Kennedy half dollars are only early issues struck prior to the popularity of third-party grading, this 2012-D half dollar graded MS-68 by PCGS sold for $1,116.25 at Heritage’s September Long Beach auction.

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2012-D Kennedy half dollars were not struck for circulation; the U.S. Mint offered them for sale directly to collectors for a modest premium over face value. Nearly 2 million were struck and the typical example grades MS-66 to MS-67.

Kennedy half dollar: The shot heard around the world in 1963, a bullet from an assassin's weapon that ended the life of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, is still remembered on the annually produced half dollar struck in his honor since 1964. How much are Kennedy half dollars worth?

PCGS has graded just five in MS-68 and demand from registry set collectors continues to fuel demand for these issues. The previous lot in the auction was a comparably graded 2011-D coin that realized $376, the lower price likely due to the fact that PCGS had graded eight MS-68 examples.

Keep reading this Kennedy half dollar Market Analysis:
		Why a recently sold Kennedy half dollar is a registry collector’s dream coin: Kennedy copper-nickel clad half dollars occasionally show gorgeous multicolored toning that one would expect on 90 percent silver or 40 percent silver issues.
		This Kennedy half dollar sold for $2,485 because it’s missing something few others are: Though this Kennedy half dollar variety was discovered in the 1980s, relatively few have surfaced.