1964 Half Dollar Pattern - RB-2715, INCO

Coin Details

Description

The terminal entry in the INCO experimental clad half dollar series, RB-2715 represents the final alloy composition tested specifically for the Kennedy half dollar denomination within the RB-2700 sequence. As the last numbered variant, this piece may embody INCO's most refined formulation for the large-diameter half dollar planchet, potentially incorporating adjustments informed by observations from RB-2700 through RB-2710. The compact four-entry span of the half dollar series (compared to seven entries for dimes and far more for quarters) indicates that INCO identified the critical composition parameters for the half dollar relatively quickly, or that the Treasury's early decision to retain some silver content in the half dollar reduced the urgency of testing fully silverless alternatives. When the Coinage Act of 1965 was signed into law on July 23, 1965, the half dollar received a unique 40% silver-clad composition — 80% silver, 20% copper outer layers bonded to a core of approximately 21% silver and 79% copper — a compromise that no other denomination shared. This hybrid solution rendered many of the fully silverless INCO half dollar test compositions moot for immediate purposes, though their documentation of what was technically possible remained valuable for the eventual 1971 transition to fully clad half dollars.

Rarity Notes

R-7 to R-8. As the final entry in the half dollar test series, this may exist in the smallest quantities of any composition in the RB-2700 group.

Cross References

RB-2715 (Robinson-Breen catalog). INCO/Medallic Art Company experimental clad coinage program, 1964. Final entry in the RB-2700 half dollar test series.