30 April 2019
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A rare Kennedy Half Dollar minted in 1964 has sold for $108,000 at auction in Chicago, making it the most expensive coin of its type.
The sale was made on 25 April 2019 at a public auction of rare US coins held by Heritage Auctions.
The rare example of the rather common piece of pocket change is one of about a dozen special issues struck in 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper for special coin sets issued by the U.S. Mint during the mid-1960s.
A new coin world record
The sale smashed the $47,000 previous world record price, set by Heritage Auctions in 2016. Both the seller and the winning bidder wish to remain anonymous at this time. Heritage Auctions presented the coin at an auction during the Central States Numismatic Society (CSNS) Convention just outside of Chicago in Schaumburg, Illinois.
“This the ‘king of Kennedy half dollars,’” said Todd Imhof, Vice President at Heritage Auctions, the world’s largest auctioneer of coins and paper money. “It seems we were very successful in attracting all the right bidders to this modern rarity and collectors did not want to miss the opportunity to own one of the United States’ rarest Kennedy Half Dollars.”
What are special mint set coins?
Special mint set coins are characterized by a better-than-average strike, the result of higher-tonnage coin presses than those used for coins intended for general circulation. The example sold at auction on Thursday is valued for its rarity as well as its unique, satiny surface condition.
Visit the Heritage Auctions website.
QUICK LINK: An introduction to the history of coinage in Scotland
