Kennedy Half Dollar, Silver (1964) | CoinWeek

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

The Silver Kennedy Half Dollar was hurriedly prepared and released just months following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The United States Mint, already under pressure to solve a nationwide coinage shortage, was given just weeks to prepare the new design for a 1964 release. To accomplish this, U.S. Mint Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts split the duties with Assistant Engraver Frank Gasparro, with Roberts handling the obverse design, and Gasparro handling the reverse.

The Kennedy Half Dollar’s famous left-facing portrait of the president was taken from Roberts’ 1961 Kennedy Inaugural Medal design. Roberts made several modifications to the portrait to make it suitable for coining and added the necessary inscriptions. On this matter, Roberts’ design was perfectly balanced, with wide spacing between letters and numbers around the coin’s periphery. Kennedy’s pointed bust truncation, situated slightly to the left of center, is bookended by IN GOD on the left and WE TRUST on the right.

For the reverse, Gasparro adapted the design from the Presidential Seal. For the coin, the verbiage SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES was modified to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOLLAR.

The reuse of pre-existing artwork opens the Kennedy design up for criticism. It is our belief, however, that it succeeds in painting Kennedy as a heroic figure while expressing the veneration that many Americans hold for the office of the presidency.

Production got underway in January 1964, and the Treasury Department released the 1964 and 1964-D Kennedy Half Dollars on March 24 to significant public interest. Lines formed around the Treasury’s cash window in Washington, D.C., and the Mint’s allocation of 70,000 pieces sold out quickly. Over the next several months, Americans saved tens of millions of coins as keepsakes. A change in composition would disincentivize Americans from ever spending them. By the end of its 1964 production run, the Philadelphia Mint had struck 273,304,004 business strike Kennedy Half Dollars, while the Denver Mint had produced 156,205,446.

Coin Shortage Solutions Make the Silver 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar a One-Year Type Coin

After its release, the Kennedy Half Dollar would become the longest-serving half dollar design in United States history. This is owed, in large part, to the trap that Congress set for itself by placing hallowed American figures on coins, starting with President Lincoln in 1909. To date, the only two historical figures placed on circulating U.S. coins that have been replaced are Dwight D. Eisenhower (replaced with Susan B. Anthony after the change in the dollar coin format) and Benjamin Franklin, whose half dollar portrait was replaced by Kennedy.

What didn’t continue was the Mint’s use of the .900 fine silver standard for circulating coins. With the passage of the Coinage Act of 1965, all silver content was removed from dimes and quarters. For the half dollar, Congress reduced the coin’s silver content to .400 fine.

As the United States Mint had Congressional approval to continue striking .900 fine silver coins until sufficient quantities of clad coins were ready for circulation, the Mint continued to strike 1964-dated half dollars through 1966. The table below shows the actual production figures per year.

In-Depth Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Analysis by CoinWeek Notes

• 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar : A Collector’s Guide
• 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar Proof : A Collector’s Guide
• 1964-D Kennedy Half Dollar : A Collector’s Guide

Design

Obverse:

Gilroy Roberts adapted the Kennedy Half Dollar’s obverse from his work on Kennedy’s Inaugural Medal. Kennedy’s left-facing portrait is the design’s central motif. Wrapping around the upper portion of the rim is the inscription LIBERTY. The national motto IN GOD WE TRUST is inscribed in a straight line that extends from the left edge to the right edge of the coin, with GOD and WE separated by the truncation of Kennedy’s neck. The date 1964 wraps around the bottom of the design. Roberts’ initials appear on the truncation of Kennedy’s neck above the word WE.

Reverse:

Frank Gasparro adapted the Kennedy Half Dollar reverse design from the Seal of the President of the United States. A heraldic eagle is splayed, its chest protected by the Union shield. Clutched in its beak is a ribbon emblazoned with the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. A glory of rays, clouds, and stars fans out from behind the eagle. The 13 stars represent the original British American colonies, while the rays and clouds signify heaven and the divine providence the founders believed inspired the formation of the United States. The eagle’s talons grip an olive branch in its dexter and a spray of arrows in its sinister. Fifty stars surround this central motif.

The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA wraps around the top of the design. The denomination HALF DOLLAR wraps around the bottom. Frank Gasparro’s initials FG appear between the eagle’s left leg and tail feathers.

Edge:

The edge of the 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar is reeded.

Coin Specifications

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Additional References

Bowers, Q. David. The Experts Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins. Whitman Publishing.

–. A Guide Book of United States Type Coins. Whitman Publishing.

Breen, Walter. Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Coins. Doubleday.

Guth, Ron, and Jeff Garrett. United States Coinage: A Study by Type. Whitman Publishing.

Taxay, Don. The U.S. Mint and Coinage. Arco Publishing.

Yeoman, R.S., and Jeff Garrett (editor). The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins. Whitman Publishing.
 

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