1987-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes

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By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek† Notes …

According to the 1988 Annual Report of the Director of the Mint, no Kennedy Half Dollar was struck for general circulation in 1987 due to the usual round of administrative reports.

Those coins already in circulation were deemed “sufficient for current needs,” and all freshly struck pieces were destined for Mint Sets. As for other United States Mint product options, 844,291 1987 Proof Sets and 102,245 1987 Prestige Proof Sets were purchased via mail order and at Mint retail locations between June 1987 and June 1988. Since the San Francisco Mint was the only facility that produced Proof versions, these sets all contained a 1987-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof.

While few business-strike Kennedy halves were produced at the Denver and Philadelphia mints in 1987 (2,890,758 pieces each), San Francisco provided a bumper crop of Proof strikes. Besides the high Bicentennial mintages of 1976, when the Mint struck 7,059,099 clad Proof and 4,000,000 million 40% silver Proof pieces, the San Francisco facility had its highest mintage of the entire series in 1987. At 4,227,728, the total run from San Francisco in 1987 was almost 25% higher than any year since 1981.

While there are no significant varieties in either the Cherrypickers Guide or on varietyvista.com, the U.S. Mint started using the MMS-007 style mintmark on the 1987-S half. The 007 style, introduced in 1987 and used until 1990 on Proof Kennedy halves, is slightly thicker than the previous “very tall” MMS-006 style.

How Much Is the 1987-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof Worth?

1987 United States Proof Sets are plentiful and inexpensive, so it is not difficult to acquire a nice example of a 1987-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof.

Most examples remain in original government packaging, but several thousand Proofs have been encapsulated by the leading grading services. Depressing that potential population is the fact that the issue’s terminal point appears to be Proof 70, which means even in “perfect” grade, a submitter is not likely to profit from the encapsulation of the coin.

Occasionally, examples enter circulation; one of the authors of this article spent one in 1989 to buy candy at a Hopewell, Virginia convenience store. Impaired, circulated, or low-grade 1987-S Proofs are worth between face value and $1.

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1987-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

Top Population: PCGS PR70DCAM (1,631, 4/2025), NGC PF70UCAM (798, 4/2025), and CAC PR69DCAM (10, 4/2025).

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Design

Obverse:

The obverse of the Kennedy Half Dollar was designed by Gilroy Roberts, Chief Engraver at the United States Mint from July 22, 1948, to February 11, 1965. Roberts also designed President Kennedy’s inaugural medal, which served as the basis of the present design.

The central motif is an effigy of the 35th President of the United States, the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A war hero and (at the time) the youngest person ever elected president, Kennedy was inaugurated on January 20, 1961, and assassinated on November 22, 1963. The nation’s grief was such that Congress and the U.S. Mint rushed through a design change on the half dollar denomination to commemorate the bereaved politician.

Atop the upper half of the rim is the word LIBERTY, with Kennedy’s hair covering the bottom portions of the letters “B”, “E”, and “R”. The date 1987 is cradled at the bottom of the coin, while the national motto IN GOD WE TRUST is inscribed in a straight line above the year but divided by the sharp truncation of Kennedy’s neck. The mintmark S is on the right side of the point of this truncation.

Gilroy Roberts’ initials are on the truncation line of Kennedy’s bust, above the “WE” on the bottom right side of the coin.

Reverse:

Roberts’ assistant Frank Gasparro designed the reverse. He