Just curious if any one knows why if I have 2 of the exact same coins... (1995 P Kennedy Half Dollar) they weigh different amounts and one is thicker than the other. The one on the left in these pictures is thicker than the one on the right and it weighs 11.4 and the other weighs 11.2?
don't know for sure but one possibility. There were some halves made on material meant for quarters. How does it compare to the thickness of a quarter?
Well within tolerances. The coin that looks thinner is because the reeding is less worn so the edge is less rounded.
I took a picture with the quarter in between the 2 different half dollars... the thicker half dollar seems to be the correct one because it matches the thickness of the rest of the half dollars I have. So the thin one is the wrong one I assume.
both of your half dollar coins are normal coins. the reason one looks thinner is because it was struck with less die pressure than the others. the thicker one was struck with more die pressure. the pressure from the die forces metal out to the reeded collars and this makea a higher rim which makes the coins look thicker.
I believe that the weight difference of your coins is within mint tolerance. I would say you have 2 normal coins with nominal differences in weight and thickness. Keep up the hunt!
A clad half can have a weight anywhere from 11.79 grams down to 10.89 grams and still be within legal tolerances. So the weight on both coins is normal. As rascal pointed out the edge thickness is a function of the strength of the strike.
I also have a Kennedy half dollar that is very noticeably thicker and heavier than that the other Kennedy’s I have.
Welcome to CT. Without clear pictures to show, I have to say your question has been answered in the above posts
Probably not a big deal but those two coins show some descrepencies. Perhaps it is a difference in die states. The ears sure look different in general shape or outline. green shows hair flowing different direction. yellow seems ears are different shape. red shows different ear lobes. orange shows W sets higher . white are those different fonts ? purple shows longer, thinner tail, more of a curve. blue is oriented different to proximity to hair.
In coincommunity.com, member Conder101 spoke about counterfeits from overseas (Chinese fakes): "There was an article in Coin World oh about a year ago where it was revealed that for several years now the Chinese have been making fake Kennedy halves, deliberately damaging them and then sending them to the mint/Treasury for redemption as mutilated US coinage. According to the article they have actually redeemed more fake half dollars than the US mint has MADE since 1971."
