A small but notable change took place for the half dollar in 1980. For the first time, the “P†mint mark was included for coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Since the introduction of the denomination, all coins struck at Philadelphia did not include a mint mark, while coins struck at other facilities included the mark, with only a few exceptions. The “P†mint mark was now included in the same location as other mint marks, on the obverse between the date and truncation of the neck.
The 1980 Kennedy Half Dollar had somewhat higher mintages in circulation strike and proof formats.
Mintage:
| Philadelphia | Denver | Proof |
| 44,134,000 | 33,456,449 | 3,547,030 |