Earlier today, July 16, the United States Mint revealed its sales plans for products commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Half-Dollar. Details included initial inventory levels and ordering limits at Mint retail shops and the upcoming ANA convention.
Before getting to the sales plans, summarized here, this year the U.S. Mint will offer three products containing seven unique anniversary Kennedy halves with varying finishes and from four different U.S. Mint manufacturing facilities. These coins will bear the original artwork for the obverse (heads side) as introduced on 1964 coinage. Kennedy’s portrait on 50-cent pieces has changed slightly over the years to include a reduction in its relief. Reverses on the anniversary coins are the same as regular annual issues. Very briefly, the three anniversary Kennedy products are the:
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50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Uncirculated Coin Set that has two uncirculated half-dollars with one from Philadelphia and one from Denver. The on-sale date for this set is July 24 with pricing of $9.95.
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50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Gold Proof Coin from West Point that is struck in three-quarters of a troy ounce of 24-karat gold. The on-sale date is Aug. 5, which coincides with the 2014 Chicago World’s Fair of Money in Rosemont, Ill. Its pricing is depending on the gold market.
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50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Silver Coin Collection and its four half-dollars struck in 90% silver with a proof from Philadelphia, a reverse proof from West Point, an enhanced uncirculated from San Francisco and an uncirculated from Denver. The on-sale date for this set is sometime in the fall with pricing of $99.95.
Kennedy Half-Dollar Sales Plans
Marc Landry, the U.S. Mint’s Acting Associate Director of Sales & Marketing, provided the sales plans in a teleconference meeting for news media. Landry described a goal of having enough Kennedy products on hand to satisfy customer demand but also a desire to save on expenses by not overproducing.
With that in mind, a summary of the product sales plans with initial inventory totals and ordering limits follows.
50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Uncirculated Coin Set – Early Inventory
37,000 units of the 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Uncirculated Coin Set are on hand to ship immediately. Further production plans will be based on the first week of sales.
50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Gold Proof Coin – Early Inventory
40,000 units of the 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Gold Proof Coin are available for wide distribution. First week sales will be evaluated to adjust production accordingly.
Release Plans at ANA convention and US Mint Retail Shops
2,500 of the gold Kennedy halves will be available at the ANA convention. A maximum of 500 will be sold each day beginning at 11 a.m. CDT. To minimize customer wait times, 250 tickets will be distributed with a location to line up for them announced 15 to 30 minutes prior to each day’s sales start.
Coin News Update: This article was edited to correct the amount of tickets to 250 for each day from the original published 500 figure.
There will be a 2-coin limit per person at the show as well as at U.S. Mint retail shops in DC, Philadelphia and Denver. The Mint intends to stay flexible at the ANA convention, leaving options open to tweak the 500- and 2-coin limits.
The U.S. Mint will have three sales points at the ANA convention with two dedicated to Kennedy gold coins and one for other products.
A limit of 5 per household is in place for anyone ordering online at www.usmint.gov/catalog or through the Mint’s call center at 1-888-321-MINT.
50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Silver Coin Collection
By the time the 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Silver Coin Collection launches this fall, the Mint expects to have its new order management system online. That will eliminate the need for its online waiting room which has been used during peak ordering periods for popular releases. There are no plans to release the set during the kick off a major coin show.
