The Kennedy Half Dollar was created in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy's assassination and became one of the most recognizable American coins of the twentieth century. First issued in 1964, the coin has been produced in several different metallic compositions, including the 40% silver issues from 1965 through 1970 used for CoinCrafters' Kennedy Half Dollar Coin Rings.
A Memorial to President Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Almost immediately, plans began for a United States coin honoring the late president.
The Mint considered the quarter, half dollar and dollar before the half dollar was selected. Congress formally authorized the new coin on December 30, 1963, replacing the Benjamin Franklin design that had appeared on the denomination since 1948.
The speed of the project was extraordinary. Mint engravers were able to adapt artwork they had already created for presidential medals, allowing the new half dollar to move from concept to production in only a matter of weeks.
Gilroy Roberts' Portrait of Kennedy
The obverse was created by United States Mint Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts. His profile portrait of Kennedy was adapted from a portrait Roberts had prepared for a presidential medal.
The word LIBERTY surrounds the portrait, while IN GOD WE TRUST is divided below Kennedy's neck with the date at the bottom. Roberts' initials, GR, appear on the truncation of the bust.
During development, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy examined trial strikes of the proposed coin. Jacqueline Kennedy approved the overall design while suggesting that the part in Kennedy's hair be made less pronounced and that additional accents be added. Roberts incorporated those changes before production.
Frank Gasparro and the Presidential Coat of Arms
The reverse was designed by Frank Gasparro, then Assistant Engraver of the United States Mint and later Chief Engraver. His design was based on the Presidential Coat of Arms.
A heraldic eagle carries a shield on its breast, an olive branch in one talon and arrows in the other. The design is surrounded by a ring of 50 stars, representing the states of the Union.
The reverse also carries the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, HALF DOLLAR and E PLURIBUS UNUM.
The First 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars
The first Kennedy Half Dollars for general circulation were struck in early 1964 at Philadelphia and Denver. Initial distribution to the public began in March.
Like the Franklin Half Dollar it replaced, the 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar was struck in the traditional U.S. coinage alloy of 90% silver and 10% copper.
Demand for the new coin was enormous. Its connection to the recently assassinated president, combined with its silver content, contributed to widespread saving and hoarding rather than normal circulation.
Why the Kennedy Half Dollar Changed to 40% Silver
During the 1960s, rising demand for coinage and pressure on the nation's silver supply led to a major change in U.S. circulating coins. The Coinage Act of 1965 removed silver entirely from circulating dimes and quarters while reducing the silver content of the half dollar.
Kennedy Half Dollars dated 1965 through 1970 contain 40% silver overall. Instead of the earlier solid 90% silver alloy, these coins use a layered construction containing silver and copper.
The result was a half dollar that retained significant silver content while requiring substantially less silver than the original 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar.
Kennedy Half Dollar Silver Composition by Era
| Issue | Regular Composition |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| 1965–1970 | 40% silver overall |
| 1971 onward | Copper-nickel clad for regular circulating issues |
Special collector issues have also been produced in other compositions, so the date and type of a Kennedy Half Dollar are important when determining its metal content.
The End of Silver in Regular Kennedy Half Dollars
Legislation enacted in 1970 removed the remaining 40% silver content from regular circulating half dollars. Beginning in 1971, standard Kennedy Half Dollars were struck in a copper-nickel clad composition.
The Kennedy design remained, but the change ended the era of regular silver Kennedy Half Dollars that had begun with the coin's introduction in 1964.
The Bicentennial Kennedy Half Dollar
For the United States Bicentennial, Kennedy Half Dollars dated 1776–1976 received a special reverse featuring Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The temporary design replaced the Presidential Coat of Arms reverse for the Bicentennial issue.
Most circulating Bicentennial half dollars were copper-nickel clad, while the United States Mint also produced special 40% silver collector versions.
From Walking Liberty to Franklin to Kennedy
The Kennedy Half Dollar is the third design in an important sequence of twentieth-century American half dollars.
Adolph A. Weinman's Walking Liberty Half Dollar was issued from 1916 through 1947. It was replaced in 1948 by John R. Sinnock's Franklin Half Dollar. Following Kennedy's assassination, the Franklin design was replaced by the Kennedy Half Dollar beginning in 1964.
Together, the three coins trace nearly a century of changing American coinage design, from a symbolic representation of Liberty to Benjamin Franklin and finally to a modern presidential portrait.
The Kennedy Half Dollar at CoinCrafters
CoinCrafters' Kennedy Half Dollar Coin Ring is handcrafted from genuine 1965–1970 U.S. Kennedy Half Dollars containing 40% silver.
This distinction is important: CoinCrafters' Kennedy rings are not made from the later standard copper-nickel clad half dollars. Each ring begins with an authentic silver-era Kennedy Half Dollar and is formed and finished by hand while retaining recognizable details of the original coin.
Sources & Further Reading
This history was prepared using information from the United States Mint. For additional information, visit the U.S. Mint's Mint Engravers' Recollection of Kennedy Half-Dollar Production, First Striking of Half Dollars From New Coinage Material, and Half Dollar history.