Kennedy half dollar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Obverse

Reverse

Evolving from the Franklin half dollar, the Kennedy half dollar is a coin of the United States first minted in 1964. This coin was first struck in 1964 less than a year after the death of President John F. Kennedy. The front features the face of President John F. Kennedy on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse. The obverse was designed by Gilroy Roberts and the reverse was designed by Frank Gasparro.

1 Specifications
2 Composition
3 History
4 Mints
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Specifications

Obverse design: President John F. Kennedy
Reverse design: The Coat of Arms of the President of the United States
Bicentennial reverse designer: Seth Huntington
Bicentennial reverse design: Independence Hall in Philadelphia
Edge: reeded
Diameter: 30.6 mm

[edit] Composition

The Kennedy half dollar was struck in 90% silver in 1964. The following year, this was changed to silver-clad, with the silver content lowered to 40%. In 1971, the composition was changed a final time, eliminating the silver, and using the copper-nickel clad standard common to the dollar, quarter, and dime. When the United States Mint started producing silver proof sets in 1992, the Kennedy half dollar included in them had the same composition as the coins of 1965-1970.

Silver issue (1964):

Weight: 12.5 g
Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper
Silver content: 11.25 g (0.3617 troy oz)

Silver-clad issues (1965-1970, silver proof sets from 1992 to date):

Weight: 11.5 g (11.3 g for silver proofs 1992 to date)
Composition:

Outer layers: 80% silver, 20% copper

Inner layers: 20.9% silver, 79.1% copper
Silver content: 4.60 g (0.1479 troy oz)

Copper-nickel clad issues (1971 to date):

Weight: 11.34 g (0.4 oz avoirdupois)
Composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel

[edit] History

Bicentennial Kennedy half dollar (reverse)

The Kennedy half dollar replaced the Franklin half dollar within a year of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Collectors and even ordinary citizens hoard the coins of 1964, both because President Kennedy was so beloved and because the same coins after the Coinage Act of 1965 were minted with less than half the original amount of silver. In 1965, the mint stopped producing silver dimes and quarters, but the half dollar was minted in a silver clad. The silver clad ended in 1970. In 1975 and 1976, the bicentennial half dollar was minted showing Independence Hall on the reverse. All of the bicentennial halves are dated "1776–1976." Starting in 1977, the half dollar experienced a decline in use and mintage. By 2002, the coins were no longer minted for commercial use, but only in special mint rolls, mint sets, and proof sets for collectors.

Engraver Gilroy Roberts' initials can be found on the truncation of Kennedy's neck on the obverse. The sylized "GR" was interpreted by some as a hammer and sickle insignia, either indicated the late President's socialist sympathies or simply the manifestation of a Communist plot. In any case, the rumor has no basis in fact.

[edit] Mints

In 1964, the mint mark appeared on the reverse, under the eagle's left talon. Starting in 1968, mint marks appear above the second and third numbers in the date under Kennedy's neck. Mint marks as of 2005 include:

Blank (Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 1964–1979
P (Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 1980—
D (Denver Mint in Denver, Colorado)
S (San Francisco Mint in San Francisco, California)

All San Francisco Kennedy halves are proofs. Proof coins were minted at Philadelphia in 1964, but all other proofs were minted at San Francisco.

[edit] References

Yeoman, R.S. A Guide Book of United States Coins. Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2004.
Edler, Joel and Harper, Dave. U.S. Coin Digest. Iola: Krause Publications, 2004.