1983-P 50C MS66 Certification #82907592, PCGS #6743

Charles Morgan

The 1983-P Kennedy Half Dollar

The 1983-P Kennedy Half Dollar (#6743) was the last Philadelphia Mint half dollar to have a mintage exceeding 30 million. Production of half dollars increased threefold from 1982 to 1983, likely as a correction to the unusually low mintages of 1982. It is well-known by now that the 1982 and 1983 issues occupy a unique position in the numismatic market. While seemingly abundant due to their mintage figures, the attrition rate of Mint State pieces is higher than expected. This is because the United States Mint opted not to produce its annual Uncirculated Coin Set during these two years, choosing instead to redirect its resources toward the fledgling commemorative coin program. One wonders if the removal of the Susan B. Anthony Dollar lowered the face value of the sets to the point that Mint leadership questioned the viability of the program. When the Mint Set returned in 1984, it was offered at an issue price of $7 for just $1.82 in face value; consequently, sales declined by 37%.

For years, 1982 (P #5912, D #5913) and 1983 Washington Quarters (P #5914, D #5915) have been treated as "special" by collectors and numismatic publishers, yet the Kennedy Half Dollars from those same years receive only a modest attention. Perhaps the 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar (#6713), with its series-low mintage of 2,150,000, is easier to define as a "Key Date," but the reality is that the 1970-D was issued exclusively in Uncirculated Coin Sets. For the foreseeable future, those sets remain much more common than Mint State halves from the non-Mint Set years.

If you seek additional proof, look no further than the PCGS Population Report. There, you will find over 9,000 submissions of the 1970-D, compared to just 600 of the 1983-P. In fact, there are fewer 1983-P Kennedy Halves certified than 1982-P, 1982-D, or 1984-D examples. The 1970-D is an "ersatz" key date; the true keys to the modern Kennedy series are the 1982–1983 issues.

Collecting the 1983-P Kennedy Half Dollar

The copper-nickel clad Kennedy Halves of the 1970s and early 1980s varied in quality between mints and years. As was the case with the Eisenhower Dollar, the Denver Mint consistently produced superior strikes. For the 1983-P issue, worn dies—born from aging master hubs that had long since lost their finer detail—produced coins lacking in eye appeal. The curious thing about such issues is that a collector might hold off on a purchase, hoping for a better example, without realizing that the coins currently available might be as good as it gets. In a decade or two, this will likely be the case for the 1982–1983 issues: better ones simply won't materialize.

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