We are pleased to offer for sale this 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half
Dollar Gem Proof. This
Kennedy Half
Dollar is in Gem Proof condition. All of
our Proof Kennedy Half Dollars have nice eye appeal and no major marks
or
visible problems, representing a great value for the price.
This 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof is of great
worth
to the
collector or numismatist that needs to fill a hole in their Proof
Kennedy
Half Dollar Set. These Proof Kennedy Half Dollars are taken
from original U.S. Mint Sets.
The Kennedy Half Dollar
was first struck in 1964 as a
memorial to the recently assassinated American President, John F.
Kennedy. The U.S.
Mint and Congress moved very quickly
to make the coin a reality, and the coin was authorized by Congress
only a
month after Kennedy's death.
Initially,
consideration was being given to depicting Kennedy on one of the larger
silver
coins, the silver dollar, half dollar, or quarter dollar. The president's widow
Jaqueline Kennedy
preferred that he be depicted on the half, as she did not want him to
replace
George Washington on the quarter.
The Kennedy Half Dollar
was jointly designed by Gilroy
Roberts, the Chief Engraver, and Frank Gasparro.
Both men based their Kennedy
Half Dollar
designs on the John F. Kennedy Presidential Medal.
This was necessitated by the time constraints
involved. Roberts
was responsible for
the obverse of both the medal and the Kennedy Half Dollar,
and made some minor
changes to his previous design, including altering Kennedy's hair at
the
request of Jaqueline Kennedy, as well as the addition of the words
LIBERTY and
IN GOD WE TRUST. The
reverse of the coin
features the Presidential Seal, adapted by Gasparro from the seal on
the
Presidential Medal.
The metal composition of the Kennedy Half Dollar
has changed
several times since the coin was first minted in 1964.
Initially, it featured a 90% silver
composition, but only for coins bearing the date 1964.
However, due to the incredible demand for the
Kennedy Half Dollar, coins with the date 1964 were reauthorized two
times and
continued to bear the date 1964 until well into 1965, with almost 430
million
1964 Kennedy Half Dollars
minted in all.
Due in part to the large number of 1964 Kennedy Half Dollars,
the mint
had used up a large portion of its silver holdings, which combined with
the rising
value of silver, led the amount used in the coins to be reduced to 40%
from
1965 until 1970. Kennedy Half Dollars
produced from 1971 on contain no silver and are comprised of copper and
nickel.
The 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar
Proof is
comprised of .900 (90%) silver and .100 (10%) copper with a diameter
of 30.6mm and a mass of 12.5 grams.
The Kennedy
Half Dollar
has a diameter
of 30.6mm and a mass of 12.5 grams.
Check out all our
Kennedy
Half Dollars in Gem Proof
condition.
Don't miss out on
this rare 2004-S Silver Kennedy Half Dollar Proof at this
great low price!
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