Owner Comments:
In 1970 a young guy could still go down to the local automobile dealership and order a Hemi 'Cuda or a big block Chevelle. Paying for a car like that might be a problem , although the prices of 1970 seem mjghty tame by today's standards. Cruising around town on a Friday or Saturday night was popular in my hometown in the early 1970s. The music we listened to on our AM radios or 8 track tapes are considered old classics now. In 1970 the cars were faster, the music was better and even the girls were prettier . At least , that is how I remember it. But I'm pretty sure the girls were prettier .
The 1970-S Kennedy Half Dollar was still 40% Silver. That would change the following year when the 1971 Kennedy Half Dollar would be minted in a base metal with no silver content at all. The silver coins of 1970 & earlier had a nicer look to them, especially if that coin was a Cameo. Cameo coins were special in those days because not every proof coin possessed the necessary frost to be called a Cameo . The technology of today's modern coin making had not yet arrived . I can still remember the first time that I saw a frosty cameo half dollar and the impression it left on me. The coin was on a bid board at a local coin shop. It was a Cameo Franklin half dollar and it looked so pretty with it's frosty devices that I still remember it to this day.
************************************************************************************************
NGC Proof 69 Star Cameo.
My favorite Proof grade.
Heavily frosted bright white cameo obverse. This may be my favorite cameo proof coin in this set. This coin shows why I am such a fan of NGC Star coins.
Maybe the reason these early Kennedy Half Dollars are so appealing is because a nicely frosted cameo coin from this early era was the exception, rather than the rule. Today a proof set is expected to arrive from the mint with perfect ultra cameo coins. That wasn't always the case. It was not until at least the late 1970's that quality control was improved enough to consistently produce nice cameo coins in every set. I enjoy having a coin that is different and stands out from the status quo. This 1970 half dollar definitely stands apart from the average coin produced in 1970.