Who is half dollar

Kennedy in , was just about the most popular U. The initial run of several thousand Kennedy half dollars was snatched up in days by collectors and by people who wanted something to remember JFK by. It didn't hurt that the first several years the JFK half dollars were 90 percent silver. Depending on the rise and fall of silver prices a lot of people melted them down for the precious metal that could be worth a lot more than 50 cents. Later, Congress authorized reducing the silver content of the JFK 50 cent piece to 40 percent.

And since , the coins are a mix of copper and nickel. The designs from to showed a woman symbolizing liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse. Weinman also designed the iconic Mercury dime.

The obverse shows the figure of Liberty walking with her right arm extended and holding laurel and oak branches in her left. The reverse features an eagle with unfolded wings perched on a rock.

A pine branch grows from the rock. In , an image of Benjamin Franklin replaced Liberty on the obverse of the half dollar. The reverse depicted the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The Kennedy Half Dollar was issued in and continues to today, except for a brief period in the s. The reverse of the Kennedy half dollar. President Kennedy is presented his inaugural medal in the Oval Office. Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Posted in From the Collections , Numismatics. Related Blog Posts.

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