At year’s end, the Mint received special approval from Congress to continue minting 1964-dated coins into 1965, eventually minting 410 million.īy 1965, the excess minting of the Kennedy Half Dollar had severely depleted the government’s stockpile of silver, which was in short supply around the world. Nevertheless, Americans continued to collect Kennedy Half Dollars as fast as they could be minted. Recognizing the excess demand for the new coin, the Mint quickly increased its target-first to 140 million, then to 160 million. Nonetheless, by noon, customers had depleted the initial supply of 70,000 Kennedy Half Dollars delivered by the Treasury.ĭirector Adams had initially ordered a striking of 90 million 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars, approximately the same number struck of 1963 Franklin Half Dollars. Banks had anticipated high demand for the coin and planned to limit purchases to 40 coins per customer. That morning, lines stretched outside bank branches across the country as patrons waited to acquire the new coin. The Treasury first offered Kennedy Half Dollar coins to the public on March 24, 1964, just over four months after President Kennedy’s assassination. Kennedy “felt it would be an improvement if the part in the hair was less pronounced.” Roberts incorporated the suggestion into a revised design, which became the basis for the circulated coinage. All supported the completed design, but Mrs. Douglas Dillon, and Jacqueline and Robert Kennedy. Roberts then brought them to Washington for approval by Director Adams, Secretary of the Treasury C. Roberts wanted to create a “coin whose beauty would endure and no doubt as to the identity of the subject.” On December 13, a series of trial strikes of the new Kennedy Half Dollar was produced at the Philadelphia Mint.

Roberts revised his profile sculpture for the obverse (heads) side and Gasparro modified his sculpture of the Presidential Seal for the reverse (tails) side.

“This seemed almost an impossibility.” To expedite the process, Roberts and assistant engraver Frank Gasparro modified designs they had completed in 1961 for the John F. “They wanted to start striking the new Half Dollar in January, 1964, only about four weeks away,” remembered Roberts. The design process relied on the experience and talent of Gilroy Roberts, Chief Engraver at the Mint from 1948 to 1964, to ensure a new design would be ready for immediate minting. Reverse or tails side of Kennedy Half Dollar.

Us dollar coin circulation statistics