2014 50th Anniversary Kennedy Half-Dollar Clad Sets are shipping. In hand, the restored 1964 Kennedy design makes these coins a winner. It’s actually almost stunning to see how much better the restored design is compared to the version on regular Kennedy half-dollars.
Before I forget, the two-coin clad sets launched on Thursday, July 24. The U.S. Mint said that sales reached 92,355 by Wednesday, July 30. Order 2014 Kennedy Half-Dollar Clad Sets from United States Mint online catalog page, located here, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).
I like the set’s packaging as well. The folder and coin cards are informational, cleanly designed, sleek and thin enough that they don’t take a lot of storage space.
The two uncirculated Kennedy half-dollars, one from the Philadelphia Mint and the other from the Denver Mint, are encapsulated and bonded to a coin card.
If you’re not into the packaging or want to save on storage, you can pull the coins off from the cards. I discovered that after cutting into one. The plastic capsules are held tightly so it takes a decent amount of force to free them.
I wanted a closer look at the coins and to take clearer photos of the restored Kennedy portrait. Getting them out of their capsules was tricky, harder than prying a cemented lid from a jar of pickles. It required a combination of strong fingernails, jeweler’s screwdrivers, a prying motion, and remembering that patience is a virtue.
As it turned out, removing the top half of the capsule proved to be the easy part. It was the coin and the other half that really liked their married arrangement. I tried separating them by vibration with a sonic brush. No joy. I had no luck in buckling the plastic with a wrench. Slapping it down to try and bounce or loosen the coin was useless as well.
Eventually, the thick part of a heavier screwdriver coupled with several hard whacks on the plastic worked the coin free. But my patience wasn’t virtuous enough as the reverse was dinged along the way. I opened another coin capsule but didn’t bother taking the other half off. It was strongly mated to the coin just like the first one.
Here are two more photos of a Philadelphia-minted Kennedy coin.
In closing, I should say that I’ve never been a collector of Kennedy halves but I’m really fond of these anniversary versions with their restored 1964 design. The Mint has done a nice job and I will get all seven coins. The 24-karat 50th Anniversary Kennedy Gold Coin launches on Aug. 5 and the four-coin set of anniversary Kennedy silver coins debuts in the fall. Links to photos of the gold coin and one of the silver coins are directly below.
