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Kennedy Half-Dollars
Home » Coin Collecting » Popular Coins » Kennedy Half-DollarsWithin a week of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, the government decided to mint a new half-dollar to honor the former president. Congress even passed a new law changing mint requirements to allow the mint to replace the Ben Franklin half-dollar, and in January 1964, the first Kennedy half-dollars were minted.
The Kennedy half-dollar was immediately popular both because it was a reminder of the popular president and because it was thought that the coin would be valuable in the future. It is approximately twenty-five percent larger than the quarter and contains a profile of President Kennedy on the front and a depiction of presidential seal on the reverse. The front of the coin also contains the word “Liberty” and the traditional coin phrase “In God We Trust.”
Beginning in 1970, the United States mint no longer used silver in making Kennedy half-dollars, and after the issuance of the bicentennial half-dollar, which featured an image of Independence Hall on the reverse, the coin received reduced use. Accordingly, the mint made fewer coins, and in 2002, the mint ceased minting Kennedy half-dollars for commercial use.
A Kennedy half-dollar is still accepted in circulation, and it is currently only worth its face value. It does, however, retain its value as a popular non-traditional coin and as a reminder of a fallen president.
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- Proof Sets