Shortly following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, Congress expedited the approval of redesigning the half dollar to honor the nation's fallen president. The first Kennedy half dollar was released in early 1964, replacing the Franklin half dollar that debuted only 16 years earlier in 1948.
The Kennedy half dollar, with the obverse designed by Gilroy Roberts and the reverse by Frank Gasparro, was an immediate hit.
Obverse: Portrait of President John F. Kennedy surrounded by the word LIBERTY on the periphery. IN GOD WE TRUST appears left and right of the portrait with the date at the bottom.
Reverse: The heraldic eagle holding arrows and branch of olive leaves with a full circle of stars around it. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA * HALF DOLLAR surround the periphery. The mint mark, if any, appears under the eagle's left talon. (Mint Mark D)
The Accented Hair design is believed to have been the first design used to strike Proof Kennedy Half Dollars in 1964.
The Accented Hair variety displays extra hair, right above Kennedy’s ear, as opposed to a regular coin which will have less hair above the ear. The Accented Hair variety will also be missing most of the lower left serif on the letter, I, of the word, LIBERTY.
Jacqueline Kennedy the wife of John F. Kennedy played a major role in the production of Kennedy Half Dollars. Initially, the John F. Kennedy design was intended to replace the Washington Quarter design. However, Mrs. Kennedy requested that the Washington Quarter design be left alone. As a result, the Franklin Half Dollar was replaced with the Kennedy Half Dollar design.
