411 on Kennedy Half Dollars

Greetings and felicitations all ye sundry coin nerds!

Once upon a time, in the land of singleness, I collected me up a fine drawer-full of numismatic specimens. Then along came a family and a house full of hungry mouths, and the collecting came to an end.

Recently though, the bug has started to bite again, and I would like to collect something modest - like a date/mm set of Kennedy Half Dollars.

1. Is the Dansco album #8166 any good? Does it contain all the necessary slots? Is it laced with erudite chemicals that will turn my coins green, make them grow legs, and run around terrorizing the cats?

http://www.danscoalbumstore.com/kennedy-half-dollars-including-proofs-dansco-album-8166-p-2041.html

2. Is there a free internet resource that lists the varieties and includes pics? I know PCGS and NGC have their hoity-toity little clubs that you have to pay to join, but like I said, I've got mouths to feed.

3. Do ya'll think a decent collection can be cherry-picked from rolls? Obviously I'll have to buy the silver and non-circulating issues, but can you find uncirculated coins from the 70s and 80s at the bank?

4. Finally, does the bank teller think I'm sexy when I buy rolls, or does she laugh and point when I get out to the parking lot?

Enquiring minds need to know...

 

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Quite the introduction, John. I enjoyed it very much. :welcome:to Coin Talk. You'll enjoy yourself and learn much here.
I can't tell you much about Kennedys, but I can tell you something about bank tellers.
Bank tellers will, on occasion, get a coffee break. I've found that they like cookies with their coffee.
Sometimes I bring a box of cookies with me when I visit my bank. My tellers are always happy to indulge
me when I visit. Maybe it's because of my sparkling personality, but I'm more inclined to believe it's the cookies.

 

Welcome to the neighborhood, John!

You're going to find that most everything you get searching rolls will not be in uncirculated condition, but finding most of the 70's, 80's (except the 87 P&D) & 90's is doable. About the only time you can get lucky finding uncirculated coins from bank rolls (if you live in a large metropolitan area) is shortly after the Mint has released the bags and rolls of the latest issue. A lot of collectors and dealers will try to get the high grades for (or from) submissions and they will often dump the rest at the bank.

No, the Dansco won't make your coins turn into little green things that dance to the music of MIB.

No, again! The bank teller will just think you're another coin nerd.

Chris

 

Top of the mornin' to ya Nick.

Cookies. Check. Good advice.

 

I suspected as much. I did, however, find three dates in the 90s that appear to be uncirculated. Here's one example...



The oldest in the rolls was 71d and wasn't bad for the price. I'm thinking this one comes in at AU50, but maybe that's being generous...




Feel free to laugh at my crappy pics.

 

Howdy and welcome. PCGS and NGC only make you pay if you submit coins to them. Otherwise, their chat boards and registry programs are free to join.

 

I'd like to add one more thing. I don't remember when the mint started this, but they no longer release half dollar coins for circulation. They are only available from the mint in bags and rolls. It will be next to impossible, but not unheard of, to find the newer dates in circulation. To get individual coins for your collection without buying bags or rolls from the mint, you will have to buy them from re-sellers.

 

Am I missing something?

http://www.pcgs.com/store/p-32-pcgs...|utmcct=/resources/&__utmv=-&__utmk=152282553

 

I think it was in 2005. I don't expect to collect everything from rolls of course. There are all the proofs as well.

 

2002.

But it's not uncommon to find NIFC halves in boxes.
My NIFC finds so far:


[TD="width: 103"]1987 P[/TD]
[TD="width: 86"]2[/TD]

1987 D	3
2002 P	3
2002 D	8
2003 P	12
2003 D	8
2004 P	10
2004 D	7
2005 P	4
2005 D	6
2006 P	12
2006 D	9
2007 P	10
2007 D	12
2008 P	7
2008 D	4
2009 P	13
2009 D	10
2010 P	4
2010 D	5
2011 P	3
2012 P
2012 D	1

 

Hahahaha! oh man, absolutely terrible pictures! The worst I have ever seen.

Just kidding, welcome to CT.

I am not a roll searcher, however every time I go to the bank, I ask if they have any rolls of Ikes and Kennedys.
I have gotten very lucky in the past and scored rolls that were brought in by other customers. Many of these rolls contained uncirculated examples, including mint-set-only issued years. Whoever would bring them in had no idea I'm sure.
So it doesn't hurt to ask. I also found that the tellers at my bank are happy to get rid of the rolls.

 

That is neither the chat boards nor is it the registry program. What you have linked is a premium population, auction history, image repository and online price guide that PCGS offers independently of the chat board and registry program.

 

And I continue to learn something new every day! Thank you, Lon!

 

John, Coin Facts at PCGS is something altogether different from the Registry and forums. Even NGC has certain perks available to paid members that are not available to non-paid members.

Chris

 

If you are going to search rolls, be sure to watch for those 40% and 90% silver halves, too.

 

Wow, Lon. You've obviously searched a lot of half dollar rolls.

 

Yeah - I was interested in images of specific varieties. I realize the forums and registry programs are free. Alternatively, is there a good book that lists Kennedy varieties, along with pics?

 

Check. I'm actually old enough to remember getting silver coins in change - that's how I started collecting as a child.

 

Be on the lookout for the 1972-P & 1982-P "No FG" (designer's initials).

"Kennedy Halves - An Attribution and Pricing Guide" by James Wiles (I've got a publisher's proof copy so I don't know what the actual release looks like.)

"Cherrypickers Guide, 5th Edition, Vols. I & II" by Fivaz/Stanton/Potter (available at Whitman Books online) - This is for varieties of ALL denominations.

Chris

 

Thank you sir!