1964 Half Dollar Pattern - P-5375, INCO

Coin Details

Description

An experimental clad half dollar pattern cataloged by Andrew Pollock as P-5375, struck using 1964 Kennedy half dollar dies on an INCO experimental alloy planchet. This Pollock-numbered piece represents one of the most historically resonant patterns in the modern series, combining the newly introduced Kennedy half dollar design — itself a response to the national tragedy of President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963 — with the experimental metallurgy that would transform American coinage within two years. The half dollar denomination presented unique challenges for the silver replacement program. Unlike the dime and quarter, which would transition fully to copper-nickel clad under the Coinage Act of 1965, the half dollar was initially retained at a reduced 40% silver content (silver-clad) from 1965 through 1970 before finally moving to copper-nickel clad in 1971. This compromise reflected both the sentimental attachment the public felt toward the Kennedy half dollar and the practical difficulties of making the large, heavy half dollar planchet work convincingly in a silverless alloy. P-5375 documents one of the alloy formulations that INCO tested for the half dollar denomination, providing Treasury evaluators with a tangible example of how the Kennedy design would appear and perform on a non-silver planchet.

Rarity Notes

R-7. INCO experimental Kennedy half dollar patterns are extremely rare, with most specimens retained in institutional collections. The Kennedy design connection adds considerable collector interest beyond the pattern's inherent rarity.

Cross References

Pollock P-5375. Part of the INCO/Medallic Art Company experimental clad coinage program for the U.S. Treasury, 1964. Related to the Coinage Act of 1965.