MAMA, DON'T TAKE MY KODACHROME AWAY . . . With color photos & comments
Private
Updated:
5/19/2026
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AHH... NOSTALGIA.
THIS SET IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY DAD.
COLLECTING THE KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR
IT SEEMS LIKE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INFATUATED WITH SILVER HALF DOLLARS. PRIOR TO THE DEBUT OF THE EISENHOWER DOLLAR IN 1971, THE HALF DOLLAR WAS THE LARGEST DENOMINATION TO BE FOUND IN CIRCULATION, CONTEMPORARY MINT SETS OR PROOF SETS AT THE TIME. I CAN RECALL A TIME IN THE EARLY 1960's WHEN SILVER HALF DOLLARS WERE STILL WIDELY CIRCULATED. WALKING LIBERTY AND FRANKLIN HALF DOLLARS WERE STILL FOUND IN POCKET CHANGE. I REMEMBER PEDALLING MY BICYCLE TO THE LOCAL DRUG STORE OR FILLING STATION TO ASK THE CASHIER IF THERE WERE ANY SILVER HALF DOLLARS IN THE CASH REGISTER. OFTENTIMES DAD WOULD COME HOME FROM WORK WITH A POCKETFUL OF CHANGE AND THERE WOULD BE A WALKING LIBERTY HALF DOLLAR OR STANDING LIBERTY QUARTER IN THE MIX. AH, THOSE WERE THE DAYS, MY FRIEND !
NOSTALGIA & MEMORY
LIKE MANY BABY BOOMERS, THE 1964-1970 KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR SERIES BRING BACK MANY MEMORIES OF MY YOUTH. THIS SET SERVES AS A TIME MACHINE FOR ME. I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER COLLECTORS FEEL THE SAME WAY ? MAYBE LOOKING AT A COIN FROM A CERTAIN YEAR BRINGS A FLOOD OF MEMORIES ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN OUR LIFE THAT YEAR, MAYBE EVEN THE MEMORY OF THAT CERTAIN SOMEONE YOU WERE SWEET ON AT THE TIME. MAYBE WE RECALL THE MUSIC THAT PLAYED ON OUR AM RADIOS AT THE TIME, OR THE AUTOMOBILES THAT CRUISED OUR TOWN BACK THEN. I HAVE TRIED TO LEAVE COMMENTS ON EACH DATE IN THE SET, SOME OF THEM BEING PERSONAL MEMORIES OF A YOUNG MAN'S FANCY
THE ORIGIN OF THE KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR
NOVEMBER 22, 1963 IS FOREVER BURNED INTO OUR MEMORY AS THE DAY PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS KILLED. MY GENERATION LOST IT'S YOUTHFUL INNOCENCE ON THAT DAY . THE WORLD WE KIDS WOKE UP TO THAT MORNING SEEMED LIKE A MORE INNOCENT TIME THAN THE WORLD WE WENT HOME TO AFTER SCHOOL THAT DAY. UP UNTIL THE EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22, 1963 THE FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR WAS THE CURRENT HALF DOLLAR BEING MINTED, AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CONTINUED IN PRODUCTION UNTIL AT LEAST THE EARLY 1970s. THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 22, HOWEVER , CHANGED EVERYTHING AND THE KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR WAS HURRIEDLY RUSHED INTO PRODUCTION.
THE SILVER KENNEDY HALF DOLLARS THAT WERE PRODUCED AFTERWARD WERE VIEWED AS A TRIBUTE TO OUR LATE PRESIDENT. THE 1964 KENNEDY HALFS WERE ALSO THE LAST OF THE 90% SILVER HALF DOLLARS AND DOOMED THE 1964 KENNEDY ISSUE TO BEING ALMOST UNIVERSALLY HOARDED . EVEN MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO WAS A FAN OF JFK, LEFT A SMALL HOARD OF KENNEDY HALF DOLLARS IN HER SAFE DEPOSIT BOX.
THE 1965-1970 KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR ISSUES WERE REDUCED FROM 90% SILVER TO 40% SILVER. MY FATHER ORDERED A MINT SET FOR ME IN 1970, LITTLE KNOWING AT THE TIME THAT THE 1970-D KENNEDY HALF WOULD BE THE LAST OF THE SILVER BUSINESS STRIKES. I STILL HAVE THAT 1970 MINT SET. ALTHOUGH THE HALF DOLLAR IN THE SET IS A TYPICALLY BAGGY COIN FROM THE DENVER MINT, I WOULD NOT TAKE ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THAT KENNEDY HALF OR THE SET, DUE TO IT'S NOSTALGIC VALUE TO ME. THIS SET IS ALL ABOUT RECALLING A SIMPLER TIME IN MY LIFE.
THE YEARS 1964-1970
TO MY MIND THE YEARS OF THE 1964-1970 KENNEDY HALF DOLLARS WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT YEARS OF THE KENNEDY SERIES, AND THEY ARE THE ONES I AM MOST INTERESTED IN. THERE IS A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF INTERESTING VARIETY & DIVERSITY GOING ON WITH THIS LITTLE SEVEN YEAR SHORT SET. THE 1964-1970 KENNEDY HALF DOLLARS WERE THE LAST OF THE TRADITIONAL SILVER HALF DOLLARS, WITH THE 1964 ISSUE BEING THE LAST 90% SILVER COIN.
THE 1964-1970 KENNEDY HALFS JUST LOOK NICER TO MY EYE. THE 1971 AND LATER COINS , MADE OF A BASE METAL, JUST DO NOT HAVE THE SAME APPEARANCE AS A SILVER COIN. INCLUDED IN THIS SHORT SET ARE POPULAR VARIETIES SUCH AS THE 1964 ' ACCENT HAIR VARIETY ,' THE 1966 ' NO FG VARIETY ,' A 3 YEAR RUN OF HYBRID SPECIMEN COINS KNOWN AS SMS ( SPECIAL MINT SET ) AND EVEN A TINY HANDFUL OF MYSTERIOUS 1970 -D DPL ( DEEP MIRROR PROOF-LIKE ) COINS. THE SMS ( SPECIAL MINT SET ) COINS WERE PRODUCED FOR 3 YEARS BEFORE THE MINT RETURNED TO PRODUCING THE FAMILIAR PROOFS AGAIN IN 1968. THIS LITTLE SHORT SET CAN PROVIDE MANY CHALLENGES FOR THE COLLECTOR
* NGC STAR DESIGNATION, TONERS & PL *
THE VERY TOP TIER ( TOP POP ) COINS CAN BE PRICEY AND CHALLENGING FOR THE ADVANCED KENNEDY SPECIALIST. THERE ARE SOME NICE COLOR TONED BUSINESS STRIKE SPECIMENS OUT THERE FOR THE PATIENT TONER ENTHUSIAST. THE 1964 COINS PROVIDE THE GREATEST OPPURTUNITY OF FINDING AN ATTRACTIVELY COLOR TONED SPECIMEN, PROBABLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT SUCH LARGE NUMBERS OF 1964 COINS WERE HOARDED. MANY 1964 BUSINESS STRIKES WERE PLACED IN ALBUMS, AND SOME OF THEM TONED BEAUTIFULLY OVER THE DECADES.
I AM A FAN OF NGC STAR DESIGNATED COINS. YOUR BEST CHANCE OF OBTAINING A STAR DESIGNATED BUSINESS STRIKE COIN WOULD BE FOR THE 1964 ISSUE. NGC HAS BEEN VERY CONSERVATIVE IN IT'S AWARDING STARS FOR BUSINESS STRIKE KENNEDY HALFS. EVEN THE 1964 BUSINESS STRIKE IS RELATIVELY HARD TO OBTAIN WITH A STAR DESIGNATION. BUSINESS STRIKES WITH A STAR DESIGNATION ARE QUITE RARE AND DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN FOR THE YEARS 1965 -1969. IN RARE INSTANCES NGC HAS AWARDED AN EARLY KENNEDY BUSINESS STIKE A STAR DESIGNATION FOR A PROOF-LIKE OBVERSE. THESE ONE-SIDED PROOF-LIKE COINS ARE A VERY RARE FIND PRIOR TO THE 1970 ISSUE. A HANDFUL OF FULLY PROOF-LIKE ( PL ) DESIGNATIONS SHOW UP IN THE EARLY BUSINESS STRIKE POPULATION. THESE ARE EXTREMELY RARE PRIOR TO 1970.
1965-1967 SPECIAL MINT SETS
PROOF SET PRODUCTION WAS PUT ON HOLD FOR THE YEARS 1965-1967. IN PLACE OF THE PROOF COIN, A HYBRID COIN WAS PRODUCED FROM 1965-1967 CALLED THE SPECIAL MINT SET. THE SMS ( SPECIAL MINT SET ) COINS CAN BE CHALLENGING TO FIND IN THE HIGHEST GRADES. THE 1965 CAN BE ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING IN THE TOP TIER GRADES. ALTHOUGH ANY SMS COIN IN ULTRA CAMEO IS SPECIAL, THE 1965 IS ESPECIALLY HARD TO FIND IN ULTRA CAMEO. THE 1966 SMS KENNEDY HALFS CAN BE JUST AS TOUGH AS THE 1965s IN THE HIGHER GRADES, ESPECIALLY IN ULTRA CAMEO. THE 1967 SMS COINS WERE A VAST IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OVERALL, COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS 2 YEARS. IT SEEMS JUST AS THE MINT WAS GETTING IT'S ACT TOGETHER IN TERMS OF QUALITY, THE MINT SWITCHED GEARS AGAIN AND RESUMED PRODUCING PROOF SETS IN PLACE OF THE SMS SETS IN 1968.
PROOF SETS, 1964, 1968-1970
PROOFS WERE PRODUCED FOR THE YEARS 1964, 1968, 1969 AND 1970. THE 1964 ACCENT HAIR IS EXTREMELY POPULAR. UNLIKE TODAY'S PROOF COINS, THE MAJORITY OF PROOFS FROM THAT ERA ARE BRILLIANT AND LACK ANY FROST ON THE DEVICES. ULTRA CAMEO PROOFS FROM THIS EARLY ERA ARE VERY DESIREABLE. THIS SHORT SET OFFERS THE AVERAGE COLLECTOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF OBTAINING SOME STUNNING PROOFS FOR A MODEST OUTLAY OF MONEY. AT THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, AN ADVANCED COLLECTOR MIGHT HAVE TO PART WITH SOME SERIOUS MONEY TO OWN A TOP POP 1964 ULTRA CAMEO KENNEDY OR AN ULTRA CAMEO 1965 SMS COIN.
SET GOALS
A TOP TIER SET COULD BE QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER BY ANYONE WITH ENOUGH FUNDS TO DO SO, BUT I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING FOR COINS THAT ARE SOMEHOW DIFFERENT FROM THE ORDINARY . I WAS TEMPTED AT TIMES TO INTRODUCE A HIGHER NUMERIC GRADE COIN INTO A SLOT FOR IT'S REGISTRY POINTS VALUE, BUT OPTED INSTEAD TO FILL THE SLOT WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT & OUT OF THE ORDINARY. MY DESIRE HAS BEEN TO INCLUDE SOME COINS IN THIS SET THAT ARE NEITHER GENERIC NOR TYPICAL. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ASSEMBLE A SET THAT LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM THE AVERAGE SET OUT THERE, AND HAVE HAD TO DO SO ON A COMMON MAN'S LIMITED BUDGET.
I HAVE DELIBERATELY SOUGHT OUT COINS WITH EXTREMELY LOW POPS, SUCH AS THE PL AND DPL (RARE !) COINS. SOME COINS IN THIS SET, SUCH AS THE 1966 MS65 STAR, THE 1970-D MS64 DPL AND THE 1968-D MS64 PL HAVE EXTREMELY LOW POPULATIONS AND LOOK QUITE DIFFERENT FROM AN AVERAGE COIN. AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF NGC STAR & STAR CAMEO COINS. I THINK A NICE STAR COIN OFTEN TRUMPS A GENERIC COIN OF HIGHER NUMERIC GRADE. The STAR & STAR CAMEO coins offer a tremendous value for the collector looking for QUALITY & eye appeal.
RESEARCHING THE KENNEDY HALF DOLLAR
I HAVE ALSO DONE QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH CONCERNING THIS EARLY KENNEDY SERIES AND HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THEM. I HAVE TRIED TO LEAVE SOME COMMENTS REGARDING EACH COIN. THE EXISTANCE OF A HANDFUL OF PROOF-LIKE ( PL ) KENNEDY HALFS HAS INTERESTED ME. THEY ARE SO RARE PRIOR TO 1970 THAT THEY ARE NEARLY UNCOLLECTABLE. SOME, LIKE THE 1970-D DPL ARE FASCINATING TO ME. I HAVE ENJOYED PUTTING THIS SET TOGETHER AND LEARNING ABOUT THIS SERIES. ASSEMBLING THIS SET HAS CAUSED ME TO REFLECT ON DAYS GONE BY. EACH YEAR OF THE SET HOLDS MEMORIES OF A CERTAIN STAGE OF MY LIFE . AND EACH YEAR REPRESENTED BY THIS SHORT SET REMINDS ME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN MY LIFE AT THAT POINT IN TIME , PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL SPECIAL TO ME.
SUMMARY
THIS HAS BEEN A BLUE COLLAR WORKING MAN'S SET, SO THE GOAL HAS NEVER BEEN TO HAVE THE #1 SET OUT THERE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE TRIED TO INCLUDE AS MANY TOP POP AND EXTREMELY LOW POP COINS AS POSSIBLE. ALL THE PHOTOS ARE OF THE ACTUAL COINS IN MY COLLECTION. THE GOAL OF THIS SET HAS BEEN TO ASSEMBLE A RESPECTABLE SET THAT IS DIFFERENT AND STANDS OUT FROM THE ORDINARY. I HOPE I HAVE ACHIEVED MY GOAL.
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MAMA, DON'T TAKE MY KODACHROME AWAY . . . With color photos & comments
By Old Virginia Boy
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