nineteen sixties.

proof franklins of this year have a fine die variety, this being a doubled die obverse seen in "liberty", "trust", and most clearly in the date itself. this coin series is not the first use of the liberty bell as a motif. john sinnock first used the bell on the nineteen twenty six sesquicentennial half dollar, modeled from a sketch by john frederick lewis; it was also used later on the bicentennial eisenhower dollar. the bell, originally cast in london, was recast by john pass and john stow of philadelphia in seventeen fifty three. called "an icon of liberty and justice", the bell was known as the "independence bell" until eighteen thirty nine, when a boston abolitionists group pamphlet contained a poem about the "liberty bell".

this year's proofs have many die varieties, with one called "noteworthy". this is a doubled die reverse with a fifty percent vertical shift in "e pluribus unum" and a similar horizontal shift in "united". called the "strongest doubled die in the series", this variety commands a heavyweight premium. a second variety of doubled die reverse shows best in the eagle's tail and "e pluribus unum", while a third doubled die reverse shows in "e pluribus unum" and the perimeter lettering. remember that new varieties continue to be discovered; after looking for the obvious doubling with visible "dividing lines", remember to look for unusually wide letters and numbers as well.

this year is the highest mintage of all franklin proofs and also has an interesting die variety: this is an doubled die obverse, with doubling visible in the date (especially the two) and "we trust". tradition tells us that the liberty bell was rung on july eigth, seventeen seventy six to summon citizens of philadelphia to the first reading of the declaration on independence, but modern historians question this. their concerns center on the poor physical condition of the steeple (old statehouse), and it being unable to support the two thousand and fifty five pound weight of the Bell at that time.

this last year of the series issued the second-highest mintage of these quality proof coins. the liberty bell pictured on the reverse has a fascinating history: pass and stow in philadelphia recast the original bell (from the whitechapel bell foundry in london) twice, varying the alloy the first time, and going back to the original composition on the second try in seventeen fifty three. In seventeen seventy seven, all bells in philadelphia were removed and hidden in anticipation of the coming british attack on the city (then our nation's capitol). This was done because the metal which made quality bells also could make quality cannons!

this proof begins one of the most popular designs of modern coinage. it is also the only ninety percent silver proof until nineteen ninety two, and features three interesting die varieties. the "heavily accented hair", identified by the weak or missing lower left serif of the "i" in liberty, is a very popular and desirable proof variety; it has an estimated population of one hundred thousand to one hundred and twenty thousand coins. there is also a doubled die obverse, most visible on "we trust" and "rty" (normal hair), and a doubled die obverse evident on "in god" and "liberty" for the accent hair variety. as the rapidly rising price of silver turned these coins into a bullion commodity, the silver mining lobby still had to be appeased, resulting in the "forty percent" issues that follow.

the introduction of "special mint sets" (no more proofs, no more mintmarks) begins the forty percent silver run. the mint was blaming "coin collectors" for shortages instead of the constantly rising price of silver, so the special mint sets would limit collector interest by limiting choices, they thought. quality of these issues is very good, with many sms approaching proof appearance. these coins are lighter in weight by one gram than the ninety percent silver coins, with a weight of 11.5 grams and a net silver content of .1479 troy ounces.

proof coin auctions sponsored by www.coinshop.com   Item High Bidder High Bid Bids Quick Bid Ends     1983 S Gem Proof Kennedy Half Dollar US Coin 1014065164 1.49 0 bids   0 hours, 43 mins     2005 S Gem Proof Kennedy Half Dollar US Coin 1014064972 1.24 0 bids   1 hour, 22 mins     2004 S Gem Proof Kennedy Half Dollar US Coin 1014065089 1.99 0 bids   2 hours, 5 mins     1966 SMS Special Mint Set Kennedy Half Dollar US Coin 1014065040 tag4363 *Prefered Customer* 6.18 1 bids   2 hours, 8 mins     2001 S Gem Proof Kennedy Half Dollar US Coin 1014065088 1.39 0 bids   2 hours, 10 mins

these coins (as all forty percent silver issues) are made of two different alloys: the inner core is .209 silver and .791 copper, bonded to the outer layer of eighty percent silver and twenty percent copper; as all modern half dollars they have a diameter of 30.6 millimeters. nineteen sixty six sms kennedys feature four fun die varieties! the first is a doubled die obverse most noticeable on "in god we trust"; the second, also a doubled die obverse, shows in the doubling of kennedy's profile and gilroy roberts' monogram. a third doubled die obverse presents itself on "we trust", the date, and the profile, while the fourth major variety features missing designer's initials (fg) on the reverse; this rare variety being caused by the overpolishing of just one reverse die.

the last in the three year special mint set series is also the last special issue kennedy half dollar with no mintmark. kennedy proofs (sms included) are one of the largest modern collectible series in both number of coins and size of coins, a complete set currently comprising sixty five examples. nineteen sixty seven has one major die variety - a quintupled die obverse with five distinct impressions most obvious in "rty" and also visible in portions of the hair and other lettering. many sms kennedys are close to proof in strike quality and finish, and all are elusive in grades of sms - sixty six or higher.

real proof coins again, and struck at the san francisco mint from this year forward. new quality plastic holders housed the new proof issues; coin quality is usually excellent. this first of the san francisco issue kennedys has three interesting die varieties as well: first is a doubled die obverse with strong doubling on all lettering and the date, second is an inverted mintmark with the "s" punched upside down, and third a doubled die reverse, with strong shifting on the legend and denomination. composition of this coin is still the forty percent (net) silver begun with the nineteen sixty five special mint sets. strike quality is high, with the crease on kennedy's neck slightly more visible than on later issues.

the forty percent silver proofs continue with this attractive coin, nearly all very well struck - some with deep mirror fields. the kennedy half dollar is unique among united states coinage in the speed with which it went into production. a kennedy coin of some denomination was suggested immediately after his november twenty second, nineteen sixty three assassination, and only forty two days later (January second, nineteen sixty four) the first proofs were struck. there were questions of which denomination to use, but as lincoln, jefferson, roosevelt, and washington were "sacred cows" not to be touched, removing benjamin franklin seemed to antagonize the fewest people. coinage law mandated a twenty five - year run for a specific motif; congress overrode this on december thirtieth, nineteen sixty three when officially authorizing the kennedy half dollar.