Accented Hair, Paul Manship, and Jacqueline Kennedy

DHeath

In 1963, the first trial impressions of Gilroy Roberts new Kennedy half design were flown to Washington and shown to Mrs.Kennedy. She accepted the design, but ask Secretary Dillon to de-emphasize the hair. The early strikes of the half (prior to modification) became known as at Accented Hair variety, and are only the product of the first working obverse die design.

I always thought it odd that Mrs.Kennedy would have a strong opinion regarding such a tiny design change, and would make that request as the coin was going to press. Then I read the article in this month's Numismatist about Paul Manship, the American Sculptor. I had remembered him vaguely as the designer of the Kennedy Inaugural medal on which the half was modeled, but there was an interesting blurb in the article that tied it all together nicely for me.

Quoting Douglas Manship from the piece, "His final medal was Kennedy's Inaugural piece. The president-elect's wife, Jacqueline, had written a college term paper on Paul Manship's sculpture, and SHE had suggested Manship to the inaugural committee."

A look at the hair detail in the medal will make it immediately obvious why Mrs.Kennedy asked for the change. I was surprised and impressed to learn of her involvement in both projects, and her knowledge of the artist and his work.

Link to Asylum's study of the medal/ w pics

DHeath

ttt for the folks not up at 4 AM.

XpipedreamR

After the striking/annealing, how do they get it lined up in the press just right for the next strike?

Russ

This thread is 100% excellent.

Russ, NCNE

PhillyJoe

I haven't had a chance to read this month's issue yet. Now I will. Thanks.

Joe

SFDukie

Thanks-this is something I sure as heck wouldn't otherwise know.
Don

ksteelheader

Quality education from the past!!

BillJones

Paul Manship designed one other inaugural medal. It was the 1933 medal for Franklin Roosevelt's first inauguration. The mintage for that medal included 2 in gold, 2 in silver, 2 bronze proofs, 50 bronze pieces that the Medallic Art Company produced and 1,500 pieces that were produced at the U.S. mint.

Times were tough in 1933 an only 1,000 of the 1,500 U.S. mint Strikes sold despite the fact that the issue price was $2.50. It is not certain what happened to the 500 medals that went unsold, but it is generally thought that they ended up in libraries or in private hands. Here is the Roosevelt medal. The relief on the obverse is quite stunning. The ship on the reverse came at the suggestion of FDR. He wanted it to represent “the ship of state.”



The John F. Kennedy medal was the first inauguration piece that the inaugural committee mass marketed on a serious basis. The mintage for the bronze medal was 53,331 and 7.500 silver pieces were sold. Given the short timeframe that the mint was given to get the Kennedy half dollar out the door, the Kennedy Inauguration medal gave Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro a ready made design for the piece.

Bronze JFK medal



Silver JFK medal



On a personal note I remember the 1960 Presidential Inauguration very well. I was in the 6th grade and my teacher, who was blustery 70 year old former school administrator, wanted his class to see it. There were no TVs in the school at the time so my teacher made arrangements for the class to walk to the home of a classmate who lived near the school. It was a very cold day with snow on the ground, and we had to walk 5 miles going uphill both ways (just kidding) . I don’t remember hearing Kennedy deliver his “Ask not …” line, but I do remember seeing JFK taking the Oath with his had on the Bible, and I remember seeing poet Robert Frost on that B&W TV.