ROLL of KENNEDY 64-D's HANDED DOWN TO ME TODAY - OPINIONS?

ellewood

Today, my sister brought to me a roll of Kennedy halves (64-D's) that has been in a family safe deposit box since she was born (1970). Knowing that I am a coin freak, she gave them to me for my collection. This roll was in the OBW and looks incredible!!! I opened the roll and placed each half dollar in a 2x2. Question for all you Kennedy pros out there. Can you please take a look at these three coins and tell me what type of grade I might be looking at??? These three coins are very representative of the entire roll. I snapped a pic of two obverses and one reverse. I'm clueless when it comes to Kennedy's. Thanks in advance for all of your opinions....

Toby

braddick

Standards of Superb GEM status require your Kennedy to have a (mostly) blemish free cheek. That's the upper most portion of the obverse and most likely to receive coin friction/rub that breaks the luster and causes a downgrade.
Next check for overall luster. If the coin is white it is usually the lack of luster that will kill the chances for an upper grade.
Strike is next- check the eagle's tailfeathers and shield separation. Also hair detail above the ear.

I then look for marks. Marks on the shield are killer along with roll marks in the fields on the obverse then the reverse. Tics and pinprcks rule the day with Kennedys as these larger coins are susceptible to bag marks, big time. Don't forget to also look at the rims. I can't tell you the Kennedys I've looked at that highly impressed me only then to have me locate that rim ding, or two, that destroys its chances of MS66+.

Kennedy halves were rushed into minting/production and quality control was at a minimum for the Mint State coins in 1964.

It's a real treat to find a blemish free, fully struck, lustrous Kennedy as you can literally go through hundreds, if not thousands, before stumbling upon a canidate worthy of consideration of the lofty grade of MS66+.

LindeDad

Going along with what has been said, but applying it to your coins in the pictures.
#1 whats above the ear hope it's lint and be careful removing it. If it's not lint and it's a mark on the coin don't bother sending it in to be graded. It also looks like you have a rim tick at the top of the coin. Very iffy that this coin will do better that 65.
#2 Another place to look for those handling marks is the bottom edge of the neck. Looks to me like there is a neck there on this coin. Plus I not sure the pic is small and kind of dark but is there a rub mark on the chin?
#3 Sorry but the picture is to small and dark too see the detail well enouph.
Now that I've bashed your hopes. Here is the up side forty years after the release of the Kennedy only 345 have ever been certified by PCGS at MS66 or higher. And BTW there were 156,205,446 of the Denver mint coins minted.
So like the good collector that we know you are go though the coins with the idea of. This is better than that one until you get it down to the three best. Then get special PCGS flips no 2x2's and send them to PCGS. When they come back as MS67's. Keep one for your collection. Sell one on eBay to pay the fee's. And sell me that third one so I can upgade my set.

haletj

ms65 first one... maybe ms66 on the second one.

I went through 5 or 6 mint sets of nearly every year 1970-1998 at a show yesterday, and didn't find any great Kennedy's. I got a 78-d with a ms67 obverse but a scrape on the reverse shield. Fortunately I did find 1 nice penny, 2 nice nickels, and 4 or 5 nice quarters. (Haven't gone through the dimes yet).

Cameonut

Don't forget to look for the double and triple die obverse varieties. Doubling or tripling is on We Trust.

Datentype

Is that the no "D" variety? Nice coins