I have a Bicentennial Kennedy Half Dollar that I believe is uncirculated. It is 'plated' in gold. The bottom of the face has the usual bicentennial date of 1776 - 1976. However, on the face side, above 'In God' is stamped 1960 and above 'We Trust' is stamped 1980. I cant find any information on this coin with these dates stamped in. The dates are not raised like the rest of the lettering but pressed into the coin. Sorry I don't have a picture to post. Anyone have any information on this coin? Thank you.
Hi jalberts and to the forum. You're looking at a damaged coin which is extremely easy to value, based on which version is under the gold wash : 50¢ for clad copper-nickle about $1.07 for clad silver about $2.63 for a silver proof. (The grade of the coin is immaterial as it's worth either face value or bullion value only.) The gold wash is an after-mint application by one of many outfits that make "collectible souveneirs" out of coins by altering them and selling them to gullible people who think they're getting real value. The amount of gold per coin is so small that it would take several to recover 1¢ worth! The incuse dates were obviously stamped into the coin at some time after it left the mint. The significance of the 1960 may be in commemoration of the year he was elected (although he didn't actually take office until January, 1961), but the significance of the 1980 date totally escapes me, as by that time the eternal flame on his grave had been burning for years. The point is, if the gold plating had not destroyed the numismatic value of the coin already, the date stamps did.
Thanks for the information. I got a ton of coins from my grandfather who was a collector and this one just didn't seem to fit in with everything else he had. I've got silver dollars, half dollars, quarters, dimes, pennies, etc. dating back to the late 1800s to mid 1920s. A half dime, a three-cent nickel, tons of indian head pennies, some military certificates, and a bunch of foreign coins that I haven't begun to research yet. Since I'm not a collector, my goal is to find out what these all may be worth and to sell them to someone who can appreciate them more than I do. Any idea where to start?
Buy a “Red Book” from Wal-Mart or a local bookstore. It will cover 99% of US coins and give basic info on grading and value. The paper money, you can take a pic or scan and post back here (it will save you the price of another book). Once you know what you have, you can surf places like ebay for an up-to-date prices and sell sell sell. Don’t go buy the red book’s prices. They can be a little high.
Please don't buy a red book from WalMart. They have enough business as it stands. But it from a dealer and chalk the extra money up to supporting the little guy. No offense, happycobra, I hope. vger
Hello Jalberts,Welcome to the forum.A stab in the dark on the Kennedy half is Ted kennedy ran for President in the primaries in 1980 & the coin may have been stamped to show JFK in 1960 & Ted in 1980 as a political give away during the 80 campaign but that is just a guess or it maybe just a promo item from some stores 20th annivesary. The above posts are right as far as the Red book being a good research guide but not realistic in pricing.If you are new to collecting or just looking to sell: Two things you need to know 1.The value of any coin is affected GREATLY by the condition (grade) of the coin. 2. Do not clean your coins as it will greatly DECREASE the value of the coin. Good luck to you & check your area for local coin dealers & shows for guidance,Bob.
