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Help with a Half Dollar?

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I'm hoping somebody can help me out. I don't know if I should get this coin professionally graded. I'm new to collecting and the advice I've gotten so far has been very different. I'm told this coin could be worth a lot of money and I've been told it's not worth grading, I should just try to sell on ebay or something and get whatever I can. I love this coin. In fact, it's the coin that got me interested in the hobby. I started looking into why it looks this way. It's my first find. I just want to know if it's worth getting graded or if it's only worth holding onto for sentimental reasons.

coin scan0001.jpg

coin scan back0001.jpg

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Welcome to the Forums. Information about this particular type of coin (1989 D Kennedy Half) can be found on this NGC Page. The most important things that dictate the value of a Numismatic Collectible is its Rarity/Mintage and Condition among other aspects.

Usually when people think of getting something graded, the one thing mostly taken into consideration is - does the Cost outweigh the Benefit. As far as your coin in hand is concerned, it looks quiet worn out (would grade low on the Sheldon Coin Grading Scale). What I am trying to say is, grading would cost you more than the actual [Numismatic+Melt+Face] Value of this coin. 

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Thank you! I appreciate it. I still probably wouldn't try to sell it anyway. I'm not ready to get rid of it. At least not yet. I saw the other auctions but I didn't see any with the layer problem so I thought I'd ask. 

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The short answer to your question is that this piece as post mint damage. It is corroded, probably from exposure to the elements for a period of time that could be short as a year.

The outer layers of this clad coin are 75% copper and 25% nickel. The core is made of pure copper. When this alloy corrodes, it turns black and sometimes brown as you can see on your piece. As such this piece has no numismatic value and is only worth its face value.

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