1971 Half Dollar question

[silverstacker]

I've noticed through all of my roll searching that the 1971 half dollar is not struck "centered" ( if that's the right word for this) as one side has a larger lip and the other has little or no lip or edge.

As a novice, I wanted to bring this up to see if this is commonly known and was just a bad year for minting or there is some rarity here.It seems like the majority of these 1971's are like this.

I tried looking this topic up and didn't come up with any results.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

BriN

[neilgin1]

what I know through experience is this, I have no interest in the clad Ike's, which weigh out at 22.6 gms.

I have quite a few blue (uncirc's) and brown (proofs) Ike's, the 40% silvers, all bought before the "big scare" in rolls. these are all from the SF mint. I weigh every single 90% silver coin and all 40%'ers, I mean every single coin, thousands, because WHEN I was still buying pre-65 90's and 40% Kennedys, as well as the 1971-74 blue Ikes, and the 1971-72 brown Ike's, I always bought rolls. ( early on, I stopped buying 73-74 proof Ikes, because the SF mint turned out both a clad AND a 40% proof Ike in those years, I blame Richard Nixon, because Ike couldn't stand that greasy savage beast)

anyway, I noticed something a bit peculiar when weighing 40% Ike's....and my scale is right on, but I had a variance, the weight is 24.6 gms, right?...and about half hit that mark, and half went +/- about .05 gms.......got reads from 24.0 to 25.0 gms...some guys think I might have gotten Chinese fugazi's......no, I magnetized them,glassed them, these are American made, I just believe in that era, quality control at the SF mint, really wasn't up to par.....

I forget the exact years I was buying Ike's, but if memory serves correct, it was on the downside of the $50 toz peak, and there was not a lot of interest in 40% Ikes, hence in auction, I was getting them at melt....or sometimes a slight discount. (Plus Ike was one of my favorite Presidents, during his tenure in the WH, a lot of the left thought him a dottering, not that bright old man, who just played golf,,,how wrong they were, he had a brilliant strategic mind, he had an unparrelled pen, great writer, and he was a great man, who's life was dedicated to service to Nation,and makes these pygmies today in the GOP today, look like the narcissistic chickenhawk swine they are....sorry for the rant, couldn't resist)

so again, why the variance in the weights at the SF mint, circa 71-74?....look at the time period in our history, it was a bad time, Vietnam was a disaster, Nixon was screwing around with the dollar, the national mood was dismal, we had our first real "oil shock", which included a near showdown between us and the Soviet Union over the 73 Israeli-Arab war, etc etc etc.....and I think the SF mint at that time was just poorly run, they were just going thru the motions, punching a time clock...it was happening all over the US at that time.....not as bad as now, but bad....just my opinion.

as far as "mistakes" in minting during the 90% era, are the Washington Quarter's out of the Philadelphia mint, the Type B reverse from 56 to 64. When I was buying rolls of uncirc Wash's, I didn't know about this, and when I found out, I went back to these rolls and MARONE!!!...I have a bunch, and its a numi thing, and the one's I carefully cherry picked seem to be in the MS65-67 state.....what IS a TYPE B reserve?...well it wasn't a "mistake"......here:

"TheType-B Reverse is a business strike coin that was struck using a retired reverse proof die. These variety coins are very collectable in high grades (MS-65/66/67). "

"Description of the Type-B Reverse:

Wider separation between the E and S of States, The tail feathers are sharp and well defined, The leaf at the arrow tips was strengthened and rises above the arrow tips, The leaf below the arrow shaft was strengthened and touches the arrow shaft, The overall design has more detail."

"To date no Type-B Reverse's have ever been reported minted at the Denver mint. "

"NOTE: The Type-B Reverse was NOT a mistake by the mint. The mint used left over used proof dies because they ran short on business strike dies. Used proof obverse dies were also used on business strike coins."

here's the website, that contains pictures of these numi specialties:
http://www.washingtontype-b.com/

same thing with the 1964 Kennedy Proof "accented hair".....when they rushed thru the design, they let the First Lady have a say, and she thought the "hair" in the middle was a bit much, so they reworked the die for the business strike. a few years back I had the good fortune to pick up four rolls of frigging FLAWLESS 64 Kennedy Proofs, having no idea, REALLY, about the "accented hair" ...now these four rolls all look to be in the MS66-69 state, and when I went to look over them again? Holy cow!...the seller was just rushing silver out the door,and hadn't cherry picked yet, and I found 12 high MS "accented hair" types.

"why don't you slab 'em?"....naw, one, I don't want to spend the money, two, i'm not selling one toz of silver,and having to do 1099's, and all that crap.....I only buy, I never sell, and never will sell on the white market......and if you think i'm nuts?....y'know these this whole "jade" thing that's planned? (go to youtube, plenty of citizen filmed mil exercises and train loads of equipment already crossing the nation, I kid you not)...anyway, i'm sitting in my nest, middle of nowhere, watching a film my son suggested, "Chappie"...a great film, and all of sudden I hear this familiar roar getting LOUDER....it was a C-130 blasting 100 feet off the deck, down my ridge road...I was so pissed, I know what they were exercising, a nape of the earth run.....where you get low to avoid radar, to get up on the target drop...I wasn't pissed at our boys, I love 'em...i'm pissed at leadership, coz I thought this jade thing MIGHT be a bunch of hysteria designed to get the American people fearful....but now? might be the real deal, I don't know the ultimate PURPOSE, but there's too much video and first hand accounts coming in from all over the country....somethings afoot.

[68Camaro]

I've done some extensive past postings on the expected variation in weight of the production coins. It's significant.

[hobo finds]

sorry I thought it was a $ not a half Ike Group wont help as its a 1/2 dollar....

[Doctor Steuss]

I've noticed through all of my roll searching that the 1971 half dollar is not struck "centered" ( if that's the right word for this) as one side has a larger lip and the other has little or no lip or edge.

Do you mind snapping a picture of one of the Kennedy Halves that have the variant, if you have a chance? I'm having a hard time imagining what you're referring to.

Thanks,
Stu

[everything]

I find this same thing with 1972 pennies, I think it was just part of the last of the era of higher relief for circulating coinage.

[silverstacker]

I've noticed through all of my roll searching that the 1971 half dollar is not struck "centered" ( if that's the right word for this) as one side has a larger lip and the other has little or no lip or edge.

Do you mind snapping a picture of one of the Kennedy Halves that have the variant, if you have a chance? I'm having a hard time imagining what you're referring to.

Thanks,
Stu

I will once I'm back from vacation. Going off the grid until Monday to be with the family and nature. Very overdue.

[silverstacker]

what I know through experience is this, I have no interest in the clad Ike's, which weigh out at 22.6 gms.

I have quite a few blue (uncirc's) and brown (proofs) Ike's, the 40% silvers, all bought before the "big scare" in rolls. these are all from the SF mint. I weigh every single 90% silver coin and all 40%'ers, I mean every single coin, thousands, because WHEN I was still buying pre-65 90's and 40% Kennedys, as well as the 1971-74 blue Ikes, and the 1971-72 brown Ike's, I always bought rolls. ( early on, I stopped buying 73-74 proof Ikes, because the SF mint turned out both a clad AND a 40% proof Ike in those years, I blame Richard Nixon, because Ike couldn't stand that greasy savage beast)

anyway, I noticed something a bit peculiar when weighing 40% Ike's....and my scale is right on, but I had a variance, the weight is 24.6 gms, right?...and about half hit that mark, and half went +/- about .05 gms.......got reads from 24.0 to 25.0 gms...some guys think I might have gotten Chinese fugazi's......no, I magnetized them,glassed them, these are American made, I just believe in that era, quality control at the SF mint, really wasn't up to par.....

I forget the exact years I was buying Ike's, but if memory serves correct, it was on the downside of the $50 toz peak, and there was not a lot of interest in 40% Ikes, hence in auction, I was getting them at melt....or sometimes a slight discount. (Plus Ike was one of my favorite Presidents, during his tenure in the WH, a lot of the left thought him a dottering, not that bright old man, who just played golf,,,how wrong they were, he had a brilliant strategic mind, he had an unparrelled pen, great writer, and he was a great man, who's life was dedicated to service to Nation,and makes these pygmies today in the GOP today, look like the narcissistic chickenhawk swine they are....sorry for the rant, couldn't resist)

so again, why the variance in the weights at the SF mint, circa 71-74?....look at the time period in our history, it was a bad time, Vietnam was a disaster, Nixon was screwing around with the dollar, the national mood was dismal, we had our first real "oil shock", which included a near showdown between us and the Soviet Union over the 73 Israeli-Arab war, etc etc etc.....and I think the SF mint at that time was just poorly run, they were just going thru the motions, punching a time clock...it was happening all over the US at that time.....not as bad as now, but bad....just my opinion.

as far as "mistakes" in minting during the 90% era, are the Washington Quarter's out of the Philadelphia mint, the Type B reverse from 56 to 64. When I was buying rolls of uncirc Wash's, I didn't know about this, and when I found out, I went back to these rolls and MARONE!!!...I have a bunch, and its a numi thing, and the one's I carefully cherry picked seem to be in the MS65-67 state.....what IS a TYPE B reserve?...well it wasn't a "mistake"......here:

"TheType-B Reverse is a business strike coin that was struck using a retired reverse proof die. These variety coins are very collectable in high grades (MS-65/66/67). "

"Description of the Type-B Reverse:

Wider separation between the E and S of States, The tail feathers are sharp and well defined, The leaf at the arrow tips was strengthened and rises above the arrow tips, The leaf below the arrow shaft was strengthened and touches the arrow shaft, The overall design has more detail."

"To date no Type-B Reverse's have ever been reported minted at the Denver mint. "

"NOTE: The Type-B Reverse was NOT a mistake by the mint. The mint used left over used proof dies because they ran short on business strike dies. Used proof obverse dies were also used on business strike coins."

here's the website, that contains pictures of these numi specialties:
http://www.washingtontype-b.com/

same thing with the 1964 Kennedy Proof "accented hair".....when they rushed thru the design, they let the First Lady have a say, and she thought the "hair" in the middle was a bit much, so they reworked the die for the business strike. a few years back I had the good fortune to pick up four rolls of frigging FLAWLESS 64 Kennedy Proofs, having no idea, REALLY, about the "accented hair" ...now these four rolls all look to be in the MS66-69 state, and when I went to look over them again? Holy cow!...the seller was just rushing silver out the door,and hadn't cherry picked yet, and I found 12 high MS "accented hair" types.

"why don't you slab 'em?"....naw, one, I don't want to spend the money, two, i'm not selling one toz of silver,and having to do 1099's, and all that crap.....I only buy, I never sell, and never will sell on the white market......and if you think i'm nuts?....y'know these this whole "jade" thing that's planned? (go to youtube, plenty of citizen filmed mil exercises and train loads of equipment already crossing the nation, I kid you not)...anyway, i'm sitting in my nest, middle of nowhere, watching a film my son suggested, "Chappie"...a great film, and all of sudden I hear this familiar roar getting LOUDER....it was a C-130 blasting 100 feet off the deck, down my ridge road...I was so pissed, I know what they were exercising, a nape of the earth run.....where you get low to avoid radar, to get up on the target drop...I wasn't pissed at our boys, I love 'em...i'm pissed at leadership, coz I thought this jade thing MIGHT be a bunch of hysteria designed to get the American people fearful....but now? might be the real deal, I don't know the ultimate PURPOSE, but there's too much video and first hand accounts coming in from all over the country....somethings afoot.

Thanks Neil. I always wondered about the differences in the hair as well. Never knew why. I will weigh those out and post some pics as this will be my last post as I'm shutting down for family and nature time until Monday. Thanks for your insight as its always beneficial my friend.

[neilgin1]

Thanks Neil. I always wondered about the differences in the hair as well. Never knew why. I will weigh those out and post some pics as this will be my last post as I'm shutting down for family and nature time until Monday. Thanks for your insight as its always beneficial my friend.

you are MOST welcome, its my pleasure...serious, although rereading what I write, I must have ADD, coz I wind up going off on tangents.....hey, I know you know how to use Google, but I found a neat page on the 64 Proof Kennedy Half with "accented hair":

http://kennedyhalfdollars.net/1964-acce ... lf-dollar/

(don't ya love the Net?)

here's some quotes I find Germaine to the issue at hand, (besides the Ike "issue) :

"It has been estimated that 1% to 3% of the total mintage of proof 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars are of the accented hair variety. This would suggest a total population ranging from about 40,000 to 120,000 coins."


okay.

here's what I look for as the "tell":
"Besides the appearance of Kennedy’s hair, there are other diagnostics which will distinguish the variety. On the obverse of the coin, the “I” in “LIBERTY” had a truncated lower left serif as compared to the full serif on the regular version."




there's two more tells, you'll see them in the article.....and one more quote of interest, with proofs, there's "proof", then there's cameo, and deep cameo, where the bust of the figure is frosted:

"The Proof 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar with “accented hair” can be difficult to find with cameo or deep cameo contrast."

I got real lucky with buying those 4 rolls of Proof 64 Kenns, coz they were the last I saw on Ebay.....and believe me I paid up, because of the seller, a "carrieafl", who at one time, used to offer the BEST, most flawless rolls of 90%'ers.....I don't know who she was buying them from, but they sure knew how to curate coins, from 2008 to say 2012, I used to deal with maybe six sellers, that offered some 90% rolls that were REAL "GEM/BU's".....and you don't see them anymore....PLUS Nate from the Cave of Copper.....a wise man, put the fear of God into me, as far as buying 90's and 40's on Ebay...or anywhere, with that picture of Chinese counterfeits of American 90%'ers. i'm forever in gratitude to Nate for that knowledge, and the fact that he SPENT real money to buy those fugazi's to educate me/us.

when he lit that bulb, my stack of 90's and 40's was pretty ample, so now i'm concentrated on stacking 2014/15 .9999 Maples, as my purse will allow me, plus i'm following a course of putting away a small horde of folding money, for the early days of any emergency....AND still stacking bricks of nicks, before they debase them.

enjoy the family time, which is most precious ABOVE ALL, God love you and them,n

[Doctor Steuss]

I will once I'm back from vacation. Going off the grid until Monday to be with the family and nature. Very overdue.

Nothing is quite as clensing for the soul as time with family and nature's beauty. Travel well, and enjoy.

[silverstacker]

I've noticed through all of my roll searching that the 1971 half dollar is not struck "centered" ( if that's the right word for this) as one side has a larger lip and the other has little or no lip or edge.

Do you mind snapping a picture of one of the Kennedy Halves that have the variant, if you have a chance? I'm having a hard time imagining what you're referring to.

Thanks,
Stu

Sorry it took so long to snap this but wanted to gather 10 or so and get a good example. Here is the "extra" ridge I was talking about. Looks like it was double struck or something. This is with my limited knowledge of course.

Any thoughts?

Thanks, Brian

[Recyclersteve]

I noticed the same thing about 1971 Kennedy halves. My own theory is that this was the first year they had this big of a coin with no silver. Maybe that had something to do with it.

Nonetheless, I've seen these so often that they shouldn't be considered rare at all.

[everything]

I searched allot of these halves, for about two years, not as many as some people I'm sure, the 1971 always stood out, great looking coin even though it was off struck so often, sometimes it was really polished looking and they really did look good uncirculated, but wow the number of marked halves. Once in a while I would just keep all the marked halves out, to just see how many marked halves were in a box, all had their own unique mark, interesting history with halves.