1968 Half Dollar Value: 1968-D, 1968-S Proof and Varieties

A circulated 1968-D Kennedy half dollar is worth its silver, about $7.25 as of October 2026, because it is 40 percent silver with 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver and spot is near $49 an ounce. Gem uncirculated coins bring about $20-120, PCGS MS67 coins have sold for $312-582, and the 1968-S proof from proof sets is usually worth $10-40, with deep cameo PR69 coins at about $150-260.

1968 is the year the mint mark came back, and it moved. Every 1968 half carries a letter above the date on the front: D for the Denver coins made for circulation, S for the San Francisco proofs. There is no 1968 half without a mint mark, and no Philadelphia half that year.

Quick answer

• Circulated 1968-D half: about $7.25 in silver at $49 spot
• Uncirculated 1968-D: PCGS guide $20 in MS65, $70 in MS66, $500 in MS67; MS67 sales $312-582.
• 1968-S proof: PCGS guide $12 in PR65 and $36 in PR69; PR69 deep cameos sold for $144-264.
• 1968-S inverted S mint mark (FS-511): PCGS guide $575 in PR65; sales $456-504 in PR65-66.
• Record: a PCGS PR70 deep cameo 1968-S sold for $24,000 at Stack's Bowers in June 2023.

How do I check a 1968 half dollar, step by step?

Read the mint mark first, because it tells you whether you have a circulation coin or a proof. Then check the edge, the finish and the condition.

1. Find the mint mark. From 1968 the Kennedy half carries its mint mark on the obverse, just above the date and below Kennedy's bust, with IN GOD WE TRUST above and LIBERTY across the top. Before 1965 it was on the reverse; from 1965 to 1967 there was none.
2. Read the letter. D means Denver, a business strike made for circulation. S means San Francisco, and every 1968-S half is a proof struck for collector sets. There are no 1968 halves without a letter.
3. Check the edge. A 40 percent silver half has a silvery edge with at most a faint gray line through the middle, not a bold copper stripe.
4. Look at the finish. A proof has mirror-like fields and a sharply squared rim, often with a frosted portrait. A business strike has softer, satiny luster and rounded rims. A proof that has been spent will look worn but still shows traces of mirror in protected areas.
5. Judge wear on a 1968-D. Look at Kennedy's cheekbone, the hair above his ear, and the eagle's head on the reverse. Flat or dull areas mean circulated, worth melt.
6. On a 1968-S proof, look at the S itself. Under a loupe, an S that looks upside down is the inverted mint mark variety, FS-511. Compare its top and bottom curves with an S in a printed word turned upside down.
7. Look for doubling. PCGS lists a tripled die obverse for the 1968-D, and a doubled die obverse and doubled die reverse for the 1968-S proof. Look for a rounded second outline on the lettering and date.
8. On proofs, judge the contrast. Frosted devices on deep mirror fields earn the Cameo or Deep Cameo label, which is where proof value comes from.

How much is a 1968 half dollar worth?

A circulated 1968-D is worth melt, uncirculated coins carry a small premium until MS67, and most 1968-S proofs are worth a little more than their silver. The table puts the PCGS price guide, labeled as guide values, next to realized auction sales recorded by PCGS, as of October 2026.

PCGS CoinFacts lists 246,951,930 business strikes of the 1968-D and 3,041,506 proofs of the 1968-S. The PCGS auction record for a 1968-D business strike is $7,500 for an MS67+ sold on eBay in August 2019, well above recent sales. For the proof, the record is $24,000 for a PCGS PR70 deep cameo at Stack's Bowers in June 2023, and the PCGS guide puts that grade at $20,000. Perfect 70 grades are the whole story there: the same coin in PR69 deep cameo sells for under $300.

How much silver is in a 1968 half dollar?

Both the 1968-D and the 1968-S proof contain 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver in an 11.5 gram coin, 40 percent silver overall. Melt is 0.1479 times spot:

• At $45 silver, about $6.66
• At $49 silver, about $7.25 (late October 2026)
• At $55 silver, about $8.13
• At $65 silver, about $9.61

Kitco quoted silver at $49.00 on October 31, 2026. Each $10 move in silver changes the melt by about $1.48. Dealers buy circulated 1968-D halves at or slightly under melt. Our guide to silver coin value shows how 40 percent coins compare with 90 percent silver.

What is a 1968-S proof half dollar worth?

Usually a few dollars more than its silver. The Mint resumed proof sets in 1968 after three years of Special Mint Sets, and moved proof production to San Francisco, so every 1968 proof carries an S. The half was the only silver coin in the five-coin set. The PCGS guide puts an ordinary 1968-S proof at $12 in PR65 and $36 in PR69, and the full set is priced in our guide to proof sets.

Three things lift a 1968-S proof well above that:

• Deep cameo contrast. A frosted bust and lettering against black, mirror fields. PR69 deep cameos sold for $144 to $264 at Heritage between 2020 and 2022, and PR70 is the record grade.
• The inverted S, FS-511. Some proof dies had the S mint mark punched upside down. PCGS prices it at $575 in PR65 and $2,000 in PR68. The difference is subtle: the upper loop of an inverted S is slightly larger than the lower one, the reverse of normal, so it needs a sharp macro photo and a reference image.
• Doubled dies. PCGS lists a doubled die obverse, FS-101, and a doubled die reverse, FS-801, for the 1968-S proof. A PR68 deep cameo FS-801 sold for $3,833 at David Lawrence in 2022.

Proofs that were spent or cleaned are worth melt. Hairlines from wiping show as fine scratches across the mirror and cap the grade.

What 1968-D varieties and errors should I look for?

PCGS lists a tripled die obverse for the 1968-D, FS-101, with guide values of $55 in MS60, $100 in MS63 and $550 in MS66; the PCGS auction record is $299 for an MS64 in 2012. PCGS also recognizes prooflike 1968-D coins with mirror-like fields, labeled PL. Beyond that, the finds are mint errors such as off-center strikes and clipped planchets, which our error coins worth money guide covers. Flat, shelf-like doubling on the letters is machine doubling and adds nothing.

A worked example

Say you find a 1968 half in a coin jar.

You look above the date and see a D. The edge is silvery with a faint gray line. Kennedy's cheek is dull and the eagle's head is rubbed flat. It is a circulated 1968-D, worth about $7.25 at $49 silver, and a dealer will pay close to that.

Now say you find a 1968 half still sealed in its original proof set case. Above the date is an S, the fields are mirror-bright and the portrait is frosty. It is a 1968-S proof, typically $10-40. Before you sell, put a loupe on the S: if it looks upside down compared with an S on a printed page turned over, you may have the FS-511 variety, worth several hundred dollars graded. Then tilt the coin under one light: very strong, even frost on both sides is what earns a deep cameo grade.

How to sell a 1968 half dollar

A circulated 1968-D half sells as 40 percent silver, about $7.25 a coin at $49 silver; coin dealers and bullion buyers pay at or slightly under melt by the roll or by face value. Do not list a worn 1968-D on its own; the fees eat the difference. Put it in one lot with every other 40 percent Kennedy half you have and get two offers on the day you sell, because spot moves.

Sell singly:

• A 1968-D graded MS66 or MS67 by PCGS or NGC. The $114-154 and $312-582 results are for coins in holders; a raw "gem" 1968-D brings the PCGS guide's $16-18 at best.
• A 1968-S proof with a PCGS or NGC Deep Cameo grade of PR69, or a graded inverted S (FS-511) or doubled die (FS-101, FS-801). Ungraded, a 1968-S proof is a $10-40 coin, and a buyer will not pay variety money on your word.
• A 1968 proof set still sealed in its original case. Sell it whole; the case proves what the half is and protects the mirrors.

Spent or wiped proofs are melt coins and go in the silver lot.

A buyer wants both sides straight on, a sharp macro of the mint mark above the date, the edge, and for a proof a tilted shot under one light that shows the frost and mirrors honestly, hairlines included. Do not call a 1968-S rare; more than 3 million were made. Do not describe a weak or filled S as inverted, do not call machine doubling a doubled die, and say so if a proof has been cleaned or taken out of its case.

Common mistakes

• Looking for the mint mark on the back. From 1968 it is on the front above the date.
• Thinking a 1968-S half is rare because of the S. Every 1968-S is a proof, and more than 3 million were made.
• Expecting a 1968 half without a mint mark. None were struck; a missing letter means a different date or a damaged coin.
• Wiping a proof. Cleaning leaves hairlines and turns a $36 coin into a $7 one. See should you clean old coins.
• Calling a filled or weak S inverted. The FS-511 needs a clear, upside-down S, checked against a reference.
• Breaking up a proof set without checking the half. The case helps prove what the coin is and protects it.

How WorthPic reads 1968 half dollar photos

WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From photos of a 1968 half it reads the date and the mint mark above it, tells a Denver business strike from a San Francisco proof by the finish and rims, checks the edge for silver, judges wear on the cheek and the eagle, and looks at the shape of the S and at the lettering for doubling it can actually see. It then gives an honest value range with a most likely figure, which for most 1968-D halves is melt. It cannot measure the weight, see hairlines hidden by glare, or confirm a subtle variety like the inverted S from one photo, so it will ask for a sharp macro of the mint mark when that matters. It identifies and estimates, but it does not authenticate, grade or appraise.

What to photograph

• Both sides straight on, in even light, filling the frame.
• The mint mark and date up close, as sharp as your phone allows.
• The edge, tilted toward a light.
• A proof at a slight angle under one light, to show the frost and mirrors.
• Kennedy's cheek, for wear and marks.
• The proof set case, if the coin is still in it.

When should I get a 1968 half looked at in person?

Take it to a dealer if a 1968-S proof shows an S that looks upside down, if any 1968 half shows clear doubling, if a proof has deep, even cameo contrast with no hairlines, or if a 1968-D looks fully uncirculated with almost no marks. A dealer can judge whether PCGS or NGC grading is worth the fee. Circulated 1968-D halves sell as silver with no expert needed. For the neighboring years, see our 1967 half dollar value and 1969 half dollar value guides, and for the full series our Kennedy half dollar value guide. The silver floor, the grading math and the rare dates across all US series are in our guide to what old coins are worth.

Sources

• PCGS CoinFacts, 1968-D 50C: mintage of 246,951,930, price guide by grade, the $7,500 record and the listed tripled die.
• PCGS Auction Prices, 1968-D 50C MS: realized MS65 to MS67+ sales at Heritage and Stack's Bowers.
• PCGS CoinFacts, 1968-S 50C proof: proof mintage of 3,041,506, price guide and listed varieties.
• PCGS CoinFacts, 1968-S 50C DCAM: deep cameo guide values and the $24,000 PR70 record.
• PCGS CoinFacts, 1968-S inverted mint mark FS-511: guide values and the $705 record.
• Kitco, silver price: spot silver at $49.00 on October 31, 2026.