Numbers Suggest Kennedy 2023 Half Dollars Were Ordered For Circulation

Above, 1964 Kennedy half dollars containing 90% silver. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was 2001 when the U.S. Mint last intentionally minted Kennedy half dollars for general circulation.

This year, the Mint apparently is producing Kennedy half dollars for general circulation. For some reason, numismatists are all excited over this. Frankly, as far as I am concerned, the only half dollars, Kennedy or otherwise, that interest me are the ones containing silver. I have plenty of 1964 Kennedy half dollars, the only year with 90% silver. For the following few years after that, the silver content was at 40%.

According to Coin World:

The difference between the overall number of 2023-P and 2023-D Kennedy half dollars struck in circulation finish by the U.S. Mint and the numbers of them sold at numismatic premiums above face value suggest that the Federal Reserve has ordered coins from the bureau for general circulation distribution.

As of June 21, circulation quality Kennedy half dollar production for 2023 posted at the U.S. Mint’s website records 5.4 million coins from each of the two Mint production facilities, a total of 10.8 million Kennedy half dollars.

Numismatic products that contain 2023 Kennedy half dollars went on public sale May 15 and include $100 face value canvas bags of 200 half dollars, comprising 100 coins from each Mint, offered at $147 per bag, and two-roll sets priced at $34.50, comprising one 20-coin roll from each Mint.

The 200-coin bags are limited to sales of a maximum of 11,000 bags, and two-roll set sales are limited to 25,000 sets.

As of June 18, bag sales reached 7,655 bags, while two-roll set totals were at 26,689. Those numismatic sale totals account for 2,598,560 coins from the overall circulation quality Kennedy half dollar output, or about 25% of the total.

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