I never really realized this...

But the Kennedy half dollar and the barber half dollar are remarkably similar in design. Of course I knew what both designs looked like but never realized they were so similar side by side. Which one do you prefer? I would have to go with the barber Eagle...
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I never really thought about that, thanks for posting that, perhaps you could make it a poll question
@Panda4456
I like them both for different reasons.
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Barber is my preferred design.
I like them both. It's a toss up.
I never really thought about it, either. I think I prefer the JFK rendition more. Maybe it’s familiarity seeing similar designs in my lifetime but it is aesthetically more appealing to me.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
They both taste like chicken to me.
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The rendering of the eagle is better on the Barber, but the overall Kennedy design conveys a bit more majesty. IMHO, of course.
It's the Presidential seal. The JFK coin is closer to the actual modern seal.
Edited to add: I don't know how much they changed it from the 1890s.
For those of you interested in the history of the Great Seal
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/a-brief-history-of-the-presidential-seal
Edited to add:
Also this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_the_President_of_the_United_States
The heraldic reverse on draped bust coins is also quite similar; just has the arrows on the other side.
1782 version of the Great Seal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_heraldry
Now THAT is a Heraldic Eagle!!!
Let us all here face it, if you collect US coins, at some point you like EAGLES
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barber's better
The Kennedy Half design was prepared very quickly after his death. It wouldn't surprise me if using the earlier US coins for a design type inspiration was viewed as a time saver.
The eagles both look like they are splayed for an autopsy.
The Kennedy. I am not a fan of Barber coinage.
They both look like an eagle that hit a windshield at 60mph and I never really like the chicken head on the Barber. But I still like the Barber reverse better as I think it has a cleaner/crisper look
I like the heraldic eagle design... actually, most of the eagle designs (except the couple that look more like a skinny chicken). The Kennedy seems more formal and in line with the Presidential seal. Cheers, RickO