The U.S. Mint today started selling rolls and bags of 2018 Kennedy Half-Dollars. The 50-cent coin honors John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.
These halves are struck at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints in circulating finishes with prices of $139.95 for a 200-coin bag and $32.95 for a two-roll set of 40 coins.
"The coin rolls are wrapped in United States Mint paper coin wrap marked with a ‘P’ or ‘D’ for the mint of origin and ‘$10’ for the face value," the U.S. Mint describes. "Each bag is marked with a ‘P’ and ‘D’ for the mint of origin and ‘$100’ for the face value of the contents."
The bags and sets are equally divided with ‘P’ or ‘D’ mint marked halves that denote their production origin.
New half-dollars were authorized by Congress just weeks after Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963. They have been released annually since 1964. They have not been made for circulation since 2001, however, because of declining demand. They are now produced only for numismatic purposes such as for these roll and bag products. The table below illustrates how 50c mintages have mostly fallen since that change.
2000 – 2018 Kennedy Half-Dollar Mintages
| Total Mintage | |
| 2000 | 42,070,000 |
| 2001 | 40,700,000 |
| 2002 | 5,600,000 |
| 2003 | 5,000,000 |
| 2004 | 5,800,000 |
| 2005 | 7,300,000 |
| 2006 | 4,400,000 |
| 2007 | 4,800,000 |
| 2008 | 3,400,000 |
| 2009 | 3,800,000 |
| 2010 | 3,500,000 |
| 2011 | 3,450,000 |
| 2012 | 3,500,000 |
| 2013 | 9,600,000 |
| 2014 | 4,600,000 |
| 2015 | 4,600,000 |
| 2016 | 4,200,000 |
| 2017 | 4,700,000 |
| 2018 | 5,800,000 |
The 5.8 million mintage total of 2018 Kennedy half-dollars includes 2.2 million from Denver and 3.6 million from Philadelphia. Those figures are through February, but the amount produced early in a year is usually enough to satisfy collector demand for all of it.
Recent Sales of 50c Rolls and Bags
The U.S. Mint continues to sell 2017-dated halves. The following table presents their sales figures as of March 11, 2018, plus those of other 50-cent roll and bag products since 2011.
| Latest Sales | Total Coins | |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 8,959 | 2,664,560 |
| 2017 P&D Two-Roll Set | 21,819 | |
| 2016 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 11,393 | 3,218,240 |
| 2016 P&D Two-Roll Set | 23,491 | |
| 2015 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 13,762 | 3,891,880 |
| 2015 P&D Two-Roll Set | 28,487 | |
| 2014 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 12,967 | 3,806,640 |
| 2014 P&D Two-Roll Set | 30,331 | |
| 2013 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 9,980 | 2,992,720 |
| 2013 P&D Two-Roll Set | 24,918 | |
| 2012 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 10,323 | 3,415,240 |
| 2012 P&D Two-Roll Set | 33,766 | |
| 2011 P&D 200-Coin Bag | 9,455 | 3,002,280 |
| 2011 P&D Two-Roll Set | 27,782 |
Ordering
Buy rolls and bags of Kennedy halves from the U.S. Mint’s website at www.usmint.gov. A link to its page of 50-cent products is right here. There are no household ordering limits.
