1964 Half Dollar Hub Trial - J-A1964-2, Kennedy, Reverse

Coin Details

Description

This reverse hub trial for the Kennedy half dollar was produced during the extraordinarily compressed development timeline that followed President John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. Within days of the assassination, Mint Director Eva Adams and Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts began work on a new half dollar to honor the fallen president. The reverse, designed by Frank Gasparro, features a heraldic eagle based on the Presidential Seal, adapted from the Great Seal of the United States. Hub trials were a critical step in the process: the master hub had to produce clean, consistent working dies capable of handling the massive production volumes anticipated for the new coin. This hub trial, cataloged as Judd appendix A1964-2, tested the reverse hub independently to ensure that Gasparro's detailed eagle design, with its complex feathering and shield, would transfer properly to working dies. The urgency was unprecedented — Congress authorized the Kennedy half dollar on December 30, 1963, and the first coins were struck on January 30, 1964, just 39 days later. The Philadelphia and Denver Mints ultimately produced over 429 million Kennedy half dollars in 1964, making the hub preparation process documented by this trial essential to meeting that enormous demand.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Hub trials from the Kennedy half dollar program are extremely scarce and carry significant historical interest given the circumstances of the coin's creation.

Cross References

Judd A1964-2; Pollock; Kennedy half dollar; United States Mint, Philadelphia; Frank Gasparro (reverse designer)