Kennedy Half Dollar

History

Federal coinage law required a design to remain in use for 25 years before it could be replaced without congressional action, and the Franklin half dollar had been struck for only 16 years, so honoring John F. Kennedy on the denomination took an act of Congress, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on December 30, 1963, about six weeks after the assassination. Speed mattered more than a competition: Mint Director Eva Adams instructed Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts on November 27 to begin work, and Roberts adapted his Kennedy inaugural medal portrait for the obverse while Assistant Engraver Frank Gasparro prepared a reverse based on the Presidential Seal. Striking began in the first weeks of 1964, with a ceremonial first strike on February 11 at Philadelphia and Denver and public release through the Treasury on March 24; the Treasury's initial allocation of 70,000 pieces at its Washington cash window sold out quickly, and the coins were hoarded rather than spent. Mintages ran into the hundreds of millions without the half dollar returning to everyday commerce, and the pattern hardened over time: the 1970 and 1987 issues went only into collector sets, 2001 was the last year halves were struck for general circulation, production from 2002 through 2020 was sold to collectors at a premium, and in 2021 the Mint again shipped half dollars to the Federal Reserve.

Details

Gilroy Roberts designed the obverse and Frank Gasparro the reverse, with Seth G. Huntington supplying the 1975-1976 Bicentennial reverse. The 1964 issue is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper at 12.50 grams; the 1965 through 1970 coins are clad, with outer layers of 80 percent silver and 20 percent copper bonded to a core of 79 percent copper and 21 percent silver for a net 40 percent silver content at 11.50 grams; from 1971 onward the standard alloy is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel clad to a pure copper core at 11.34 grams. All are 30.6 mm in diameter, 2.15 mm thick, with a reeded edge. Coins have been struck at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, with the W mint mark used only on the 2014 gold anniversary issue, a three-quarter ounce .999 fine piece bearing the dual date 1964-2014. A 40 percent silver collector version of the Bicentennial half was also sold, containing 0.37 troy ounce of silver.

Features

The obverse carries a left-facing bust of Kennedy with LIBERTY following the upper rim and IN GOD WE TRUST in a straight line across the lower part of the field. Gasparro's reverse is a modified Presidential Seal, used from 1964 to the present except in 1975 and 1976, when Huntington's Independence Hall design appeared on every half dollar struck, all of them carrying the dual date 1776-1976. Mint mark placement changed after the first year: on 1964 coins and on the 1964-2014-W gold issue it sits on the reverse beneath the point where the eagle's claws grasp the olive branch, and on all other issues it appears on the obverse above the date.

Notable facts

• The 1971-D business strike of 302,097,424 pieces is among the largest in the series, followed closely by the 1976-D at 287,565,248.
• At 2,150,000 pieces, the 1970-D is one of the smallest circulation-strike totals of the pre-2002 years.
• The 40 percent silver type of 1965 through 1970 accounts for 848,895,006 business strikes and 8,608,947 proofs.
• No mint marks appear on any half dollars dated 1965 through 1967, and Philadelphia issues carry no mint mark before 1980.
• Silver proof set halves struck from 1992 through 2018 are 90 percent fine and contain 0.402 troy ounce of silver, while those from 2019 onward are .999 fine and contain 0.37 troy ounce.