1987 Half Dollar Error List with Pictures
A 1976 Kennedy half struck off center sold for $480 in December 2025. That different-year sale helps compare the reported 1987 half dollar errors below, whose estimated ranges run from $10 to $600.
The 1987-P and 1987-D coins were made for collector sets, but they could still acquire minting errors. Read on to check missing metal, raised lumps, repeated letters, and designs that sit or point the wrong way.
1. 1987-P Kennedy Half Dollar Reported Clipped Planchet (Estimated Up to $60)
A small bite at the edge can mean the coin started as an incomplete metal disc, called a blank. A seller describes this feature on an ungraded 1987-P Kennedy half.
The report is not an independent error certification. It gives no exact missing percentage or position.
A genuine curved clip can form when the blank-cutting punch overlaps a hole left by an earlier disc. The incomplete blank is then struck with the design.
A cut made afterward can look similar. The edge and nearby rim must support the claim, not just the bite’s curved shape.
Estimated Value
A modest genuine clip has an estimated value of $10–$60 on a circulated or ordinary unworn 1987-P. This range follows the year guide, not a recorded sale of the seller’s coin.
A clear clip on an attractive piece fits the upper end better than a damaged edge. The missing area should still show that the coin was struck after the metal was lost.
A seller’s error label alone does not establish that sequence.
How to Identify
Start with a scale: a noticeable clip should reduce the normal 11.34-gram weight. Compare that loss with the amount missing, since later cutting also makes a coin lighter.
Through a 10× magnifier, inspect both ends of the gap and the nearby edge grooves. File marks or fresh cutting suggest later damage.
Calipers across the intact portion should agree with the normal 30.61-millimeter diameter. Confirm the P below Kennedy’s neck and the 1987 date when comparing the seller-reported example.
For a quick check, look for naturally struck edges beside the gap and possible weakness on the opposite rim, rather than smooth cut surfaces.
2. 1987-D Kennedy Half Dollar Reported Rim Cud (Estimated Up to $150)
A raised lump touching the rim can form when part of a die breaks away. The die is the steel tool that stamps the coin.
Metal fills the space left by the missing piece, so the affected area lacks normal design detail. Collectors call a rim-connected lump of this kind a cud.
A year guide reports a substantial cud on a 1987-D half, but gives no exact location. The reported coin still needs a matching example or clear pictures.
An isolated bump inside the design is different. So is a rim crushed by a later impact.
Estimated Value
An unworn 1987-D with a clear rim cud has an estimated value of $50–$150. This is the published guide range, not a verified auction price for the reported coin.
A modest loss of detail fits nearer the lower end. An obvious break on clean, attractive surfaces may draw more interest.
First confirm that the lump formed during striking. Added solder or a damaged rim does not get the same value simply because it looks bulky.
How to Identify
Look at the rim connection before deciding how large the lump is. A genuine cud should join the rim naturally and replace part of the usual design.
Use a 10× magnifier to look for solder seams, corrosion, or smeared impact marks. Turn the coin over; weak detail opposite the lump may provide another clue.
Confirm the D beneath Kennedy’s neck. Compare scale and caliper readings with 11.34 grams and 30.61 millimeters, and inspect the edge grooves and normal copper-colored middle stripe.
For the quickest check, follow the raised patch into the rim and make sure no added-metal seam separates it from the coin.
3. 1987 Kennedy Half Dollar Reported Die Clash (Estimated Up to $210)
A faint shape on one side may copy part of the design from the other side. That can happen when the two steel stamping tools hit each other without a blank between them.
The tools may pick up pieces of the opposing design and transfer them to later coins. This is called a die clash.
The 1987 year guide reports clashes, but identifies no specific mint or exact transferred shape. A suggested eagle outline is not a confirmed map for this year.
Unfamiliar scratches are not enough. The extra mark must resemble an opposite-side design feature.
Estimated Value
A clear clash on a well-preserved, unworn 1987 half has an estimated value of $100–$210. The range comes from the year guide, which discusses coins around MS65–MS66.
Those grades describe attractive uncirculated coins with relatively few marks. The guide supplies no independently traceable sale for its reported clash.
A strong, recognizable transferred shape supports more interest than a faint unexplained line. Heavier wear or damaged surfaces call for a different comparison.
How to Identify
Place clear pictures of both sides next to each other at the same size. Try to match the unusual mark with a part of the opposite design.
Then use a 10× magnifier and change the light direction. Random scratches or streaks left by polishing a stamping tool may look unusual without copying any recognizable shape.
Read the actual P or D below the neck. A scale and calipers should be compared with 11.34 grams and 30.61 millimeters; the edge normally has grooves and a copper-colored middle stripe.
The fastest useful check is a matching opposite-side shape that remains visible when you change the light.
4. 1987-P Kennedy Half Dollar Reported Doubled Die Obverse (Estimated Up to $300)
Extra outlines in the date, LIBERTY, or IN GOD WE TRUST are places to begin checking the reported 1987-P front doubling. Glare along Kennedy’s face can be misleading.
A doubled die has repeated design detail on the steel stamping tool itself. Coins made from that tool should repeat the same pattern.
Movement during striking can instead flatten a letter’s edge into a low shelf. That is a different effect.
The year guide mentions an MS66 example but provides no traceable variety number. The visible pattern still needs a confirmed comparison before the report becomes a firm identification.
Estimated Value
A confirmed, unworn 1987-P with clear front doubling has an estimated value of $75–$300. This is a guide-based estimate rather than a verified sale of the reported MS66 example.
The higher end assumes obvious extra outlines and attractive surfaces. A repeatable pattern should support the identification.
Low, flat shelves from movement during striking do not receive the same allowance. Neither does one bright line that disappears when the light changes.
How to Identify
Inspect several letters with a 10× magnifier. Look for split corners or separate rounded edges, then compare their shapes with a confirmed doubled example.
A low shelf beside a smaller-looking letter points toward movement during striking. Rotate the coin under the light to rule out glare around Kennedy’s face.
Find the P below the neck and above the date. Check the edge grooves and compare a scale reading with 11.34 grams and caliper readings with 30.61 millimeters.
The normal copper-colored edge stripe is part of the coin’s layered metal. For a quick doubling check, match rounded extra detail across several front-side features rather than trusting one reflective edge.
5. 1987-D Kennedy Half Dollar Reported Rotated Dies (Estimated Up to $400)
The eagle may look tilted after a straight top-to-bottom flip even though both designs are centered. This means the stamping tools pointed at the wrong angle to each other.
The 1987-D report gives about 45 degrees of rotation. It also uses the word misaligned, but a sideways shift and a rotation are different problems.
The angle is part of that report, not a measurement for every Denver coin. Check the piece itself.
Turning the coin sideways or rotating photographs independently can make an ordinary coin appear to have this error.
Estimated Value
A confirmed 1987-D with roughly 45-degree rotation has an estimated value of $40–$400 across ordinary and especially attractive unworn grades. A different 2000-P with 75-degree clockwise rotation sold for $79 in March 2025.
That Heritage comparison was graded PCGS MS61, an unworn grade with noticeable marks. A large angle alone does not guarantee a high price.
The range is an estimate using that comparison, not a verified 1987 auction result.
How to Identify
Hold Kennedy upright and flip the coin straight from top to bottom. The eagle should finish upright on a normal coin.
Repeat without twisting the coin sideways. A fixed vertical line and a protractor can help you measure any tilt that remains.
Confirm the D beneath the neck and use a 10× magnifier to inspect the edge for seams or alteration. Check its grooves, then compare calipers and a scale with 30.61 millimeters and 11.34 grams.
Separate photographs turned upright cannot show the angle. The quickest confirmation is an eagle that stops at the same tilted position each time you repeat the controlled flip.
6. 1987 Kennedy Half Dollar Reverse Strike-Through Error (Estimated Up to $450)
A large area above the eagle has interrupted detail on a cataloged unworn 1987 half dollar. The normal design there contains rays, clouds, and stars.
Something between the steel stamping tool and the coin disc blocked the design during striking. This kind of error is called a strike-through.
The obstruction could leave a shallow depression or a patch of missing detail. It does not always leave a sharply outlined object.
The catalog names neither the mint nor the material. Cloth, grease, or a metal fragment should not be assigned merely because one seems possible.
Estimated Value
A clear back-side strike-through on an ordinary unworn 1987 half has an estimated value of $100–$450. The catalog provides no numerical grade or sale price for its example.
A different 1992-D struck through a piece of edge metal sold for $336 in July 2021. That coin was graded NGC MS64.
It helps compare a visible obstruction error from the same series. Its known metal fragment does not identify what blocked the 1987 strike.
How to Identify
Compare the area above the eagle with a normal back design first. The catalog entry places the error there but gives no exact shape to expect.
Under a 10× magnifier and side lighting, inspect where the unusual patch meets normal detail. Sharp gouges or scattered corrosion pits suggest different causes.
Read the mintmark below Kennedy’s neck instead of guessing it. Check the edge grooves, use a scale against the 11.34-gram standard, and measure about 30.61 millimeters with calipers.
For a quick check, look for a local interruption above the eagle with naturally struck surrounding details, rather than scratches or rough pits spread across the coin.
7. 1987 Kennedy Half Dollar Reported Off-Center Strike (Estimated Up to $600)
A blank patch beside a shifted design can show that the coin disc sat off center in the press. Part of the disc was outside the area reached by the stamping tools.
The opposite side of the design may run beyond the available metal. Both faces should be examined together.
The 1987 year list reports this type without a mint, certified example, or measured percentage. Those missing details cannot be supplied from another year’s coin.
An uneven border on only one face suggests a different problem. A wider coin with a complete design also needs a separate explanation.
Estimated Value
A dated, unworn 1987 with clear two-sided displacement has an estimated value of $75–$600. A fifteen-percent-off-center 1976 Kennedy graded NGC MS64 sold for $480 at Heritage in December 2025.
That is a different-year comparison for a visible striking error. Its fifteen-percent measurement must not be assigned to an unmeasured 1987 coin.
A small shift generally belongs lower than a dramatic example. The date, condition, and surviving design affect the price.
How to Identify
Set pictures of both sides together, including the entire metal outline. Look for shifted designs on both faces and a remaining patch of blank metal.
Use a 10× magnifier to inspect that patch’s boundary for cutting, filing, or hammering. Calipers can record the widest dimensions; the normal diameter is 30.61 millimeters.
Compare the weight with 11.34 grams on a scale and inspect the edge grooves. Read the 1987 date and any surviving mintmark without inventing a missing letter.
The outline may change during a faulty strike. To check quickly, match the two shifted designs with the same remaining blank area, rather than judging one wide rim.
Conclusion
Estimated values of $10–$600 depend on the feature, condition, and strength of the evidence. The clip and front-doubling reports concern Philadelphia; the cud and rotation reports concern Denver.
Check the actual mintmark for the other features. A missing piece, raised rim lump, copied design fragment, or tilted eagle each needs a different test, and the normal copper-colored edge stripe is not itself an error.