The
Kennedy half dollar
, first minted in 1964, is a
fifty-cent coin
currently issued by the
United States Mint
. Intended as a memorial to the
assassinated
35th
President of the United States
John F. Kennedy
, it was authorized by
Congress
just over a month after his death. Use of existing works by Mint sculptors
Gilroy Roberts
and
Frank Gasparro
allowed
dies
to be prepared quickly, and striking of the new coins began in January 1964.