Only about 197,000 of the 3,950,762 proof mintage bear the extra hair above the ear, known as “accented,” on the Kennedy Half Dollar, significantly increasing its value.
But the diagnostics are not easily recognizable unless you know where to look.
Moreover, value also depends on whether your particular coin has a cameo or deep cameo frosting. Combine deep cameo with accented hair, and you have a valuable coin.
Take a look at the difference in retail value between deep cameo/prooflike strikes of the accented variety, using figures from PCGS CoinFacts:
Before we share the diagnostics, please review the standards for Cameo and Deep Cameo designations. According to PCGS, Prooflike is reserved for coins grading MS60 or better with clear mirror reflectivity. Cameo is reserved for coins that show moderate frosting of devices. Deep cameo has deep and even frosting on devices. Finally, for cameo and deep cameo, both sides of the coins must have those frosting features.
The diagnostics of accented hair are not immediately obvious. The latter has two distinguishing features: more hair over the ear and a missing bottom serif on the “I” of “Liberty.”
Let’s view the extra hair:
You should be able to count four distinct hair strands, with the strand labeled “4” the telltale hair rising clearly above the others.
Here’s a depiction of the missing serif:
There is another hurdle in identifying the varieties, and that has to do with the packaging.
The thin plastic covering often diminishes the frosting on the devices. If you believe you have an accented hair variety, you should remove the coin from the set, holding the coin by the edges, because proof coins are notorious for picking up oil stains from fingers.
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