1973-D

Denver pressed 83,171,400 Kennedy halves in 1973, a moderate run that sits well below the 302-million 1971-D peak and only modestly above the 1973 Philadelphia output of 64,964,000. The cupronickel clad composition introduced in 1971 carried through unchanged: 75% copper and 25% nickel in the outer layers bonded to a pure copper core, weight 11.34 g, diameter 30.6 mm, reeded edge. The D mintmark sits below the neck truncation on the obverse, with Roberts's GR initials at the neck. Gasparro's FG initials sit to the right of the eagle's tail feathers on the reverse, the same diagnostic that the 1972-D No FG variety wore away through excessive die polishing on a separate die pair.

The 1973-D carries no major catalogued die variety, so the collecting question reduces to condition. Cupronickel hardness continued to wear obverse dies faster than silver had, and the 1973-D shows typical central-detail softness on the hair above Kennedy's ear and on the eagle's breast feathers, plus the persistent bag-mark concentration on Kennedy's cheek and jawline that marks every early clad year. Original-roll and mint-set survivors with full luster and clean fields are the cleanest raw source for gem material. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, Numismatic Guaranty Company, populations show the issue common through MS65 and thinning sharply at MS66 and above; MS67 is where the price ladder steepens.

Within the series, the 1973-D is an unremarkable workhorse issue, available raw in any circulated grade for face plus a small premium and worth certification only at MS66 and above. The Denver-Philadelphia pair for 1973 is the smallest combined cupronickel production of the early-clad run after 1970-D's mint-set-only release, but the issue has not picked up Key Date or Semi-Key recognition, since the 1970-D continues to own that structural scarcity slot. Acquisition cost remains modest across the grade range below gem. For the broader story of the design transition to copper-nickel clad and the series' production arc, see the Kennedy Half Dollar series history.