1964 Kennedy Half Dollar Tribute – 2 Troy Ounce Silver Round

A familiar presidential portrait marks a moment of national remembrance. Our 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar Tribute brings the first-year design’s recognizable imagery to a 2 troy ounce .999 fine silver round, pairing Kennedy’s profile with a reverse inspired by the Presidential Seal.

From Presidential Medal to Memorial Coin

The original Kennedy half dollar was prepared with remarkable speed after President John F. Kennedy’s death in November 1963. President Lyndon Johnson signed the authorizing legislation on December 30, and the new denomination design appeared in 1964.

Its artists did not begin with an entirely blank slate. Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts adapted Kennedy’s portrait from the Mint’s presidential medal, while Frank Gasparro reworked his Presidential Seal design from the same medal for the reverse. Gasparro later recalled that work began on November 28, 1963, and trial dies were completed by December 12. The connection between medal and coin helped an already established likeness become an enduring memorial.

Obverse Design

Kennedy’s portrait follows the image developed for his presidential medal and adapted for the half dollar. “LIBERTY” arches above, with the date below. “IN GOD WE TRUST” is divided on either side of the neck, preserving the familiar arrangement that makes the design immediately recognizable.

Reverse Design

The Presidential Seal motif supplies the reverse’s heraldic character, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” above. “TWO TROY OUNCES” and the hallmark below identify this contemporary silver tribute. The 1964 date recalls the original coin’s first year; the piece offered here is an Intaglio Mint silver round rather than an original circulating half dollar.

Specifications

• Weight: 2.00 troy ounces
• Metal: .999 fine silver
• Diameter: 39 mm
• Thickness: Approximately 6 mm
• Edge: Reeded
• Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated

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