United States 1964 half dollar
In late 1963, after the assassination of John F Kennedy, Congress was eager to memorialize him on a coin. The half dollar was selected because it had the largest format and Benjamin Franklin had few defenders. The Kennedy half dollar, struck in 90% silver in 1964 only, was massively hoarded by the public seeking a souvenir plus rising silver prices drove the bullion value over the face value. Many 1964 dated coins were struck in 1965, to no avail. The alloy was converted to billon (40% silver) in 1965 and struck in that form through 1970 but even that failed to stop the hoarders. In 1971, the mint gave up and struck the half dollar in copper-nickel, which alloy is still in use. The last issue for circulation was in 2001.
The second specimen was part of lot 92423 in Stack's Bowers October 2020, which sold for $204. The lot description noted, "1964 Proof Set with Accented Hair Kennedy Half Dollar (PCGS). Included are: Kennedy Half Dollar, Accented Hair Proof-66 DCAM; Washington Quarter Proof-67; Roosevelt Dime Proof-67; Jefferson Nickel Proof-67; and Lincoln Cent Proof-66 RD."
Recorded Mintage: 273,304,004, the highest mintage of any silver half dollar.
Specification: 12.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, .361 troy oz ASW, 30.6 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro.
Catalog reference: KM 202.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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