Interesting how there have been only one thread today on Kennedy half dollars...............

SanctionII

............. given that it is the 50th anniversary of JFK's death in Dallas.

I was 7 when it happened and watched the news coverage of it with my parents.

Wonder how the world would have turned out if the shooting never happened.

One thing surely would have happened that would impact my collection is that we would have had Franklin half dollars made at least through 1973 (25 year requirement unless Congress allows otherwise) and possibly through today.

Could you imagine:

1. Franklin half dollars from 1948 to 2013 in both MS and Proof;

2. clad Franklin half dollars;

3. 40% silver Franklin half dollars;

4. 1965-67 SMS Franklin half dollars;

5. 1974 DDO Franklin half dollars;

6. 1776-1976 Bicentennial Franklin Half dollars with Independence Hall on the back; and/or

7. 90% silver proof Franklin half dollars from 1992 - 2013?

How many of you have paused to reflect upon the 50th anniversary today? Probably not as many people as did so ten, twenty or thirty years ago. Except for CNN the major TV news networks have not devoted a lot of coverage to the anniversary prior to today.

chumley

I was 11 ,attending a Catholic school....remember the nun crying as she told us the president had been shot.they dismissed school and by the time I got home I was crying too...pretty much spent the next 3 days glued to the television

SLQ

I also got the news from nuns in Catholic School. I was 6. First grade. It was a very confusing time.

"6. 1776-1976 Bicentennial Franklin Half dollars with Independence Hall on the back"

Maybe they should have done it like this anyway.

7Jaguars

Hey, Danny can help out with that!

magikbilly

Now that would be neat to see!

Eric

Cocoinut

I was 14 in 1963, and remember JFK's assassination very clearly. Looking back, it's as if America's innocence was stolen in the '60's. It's probably difficult for younger generations to understand how the mood of the country changed so much from 1960 to 1970.

If Franklin halves continued to be minted, maybe there would have been some with accented hair. I just hope Ben wouldn't have the grotesque re-engraved hair that JFK and Washington got in the '90's!

Jim

djdilliodon

The world would be a much better place if the franklin half dollar was never replaced by the Kennedy half . Sorry but I had to get that off my chest!

Shamika

<< <i>How many of you have paused to reflect upon the 50th anniversary today? >>


NPR has been discussing it throughout the day.

Shamika

<< <i>Could you imagine:

2. clad Franklin half dollars; >>



Now that's a scary thought.

BryceM

I wasn't alive at the time so I have no understanding of the impact of the assassination. I think it's unfortunate the half dollar suddenly became a memorial/commemorative and in essence, stopped circulating.

I'm sure he was a great President, but it rubs me a bit wrong to put someone so recently deceased on a coin. I feel the same way about the dime.

dcarr

<< <i>

<< <i>Could you imagine:

2. clad Franklin half dollars; >>



Now that's a scary thought. >>





<< <i>Hey, Danny can help out with that! >>



When I was doing the "1964-D" Franklin half dollar over-strikes, for fun I struck one on a legally-monetized copper-nickel clad half dollar blank retrieved from circulation.
It actually came out reasonably nice. Not a lot different than a high-grade copper-nickel clad Washington Quarter or Eisenhower Dollar.

s4ny

I wonder if they would have done a 40% Franklin, or simply gone to clad.

Franklins are my favorite coin for 90%, but I never liked that silly little eagle on the reverse.
(Yes, I know it has to be there.)

Cameonut

I was 9 when it happened and school was let out early. No mention was given as to what had happened, but we were told to go straight home. Very sad time.

How many of you picked up one of these over the years? I initially got one on a 1964 cent, here is a newer one - presumably to mark the 10 year anniversary (the rest of the card compares Lincoln to Kennedy).

giorgio11

I was 14 and in junior high school in Dallas when President Kennedy was murdered. Dallas got a bad rap for a long time over something that could have happened anywhere nut jobs live. I always admired President Kennedy. He started the successful race to the Moon, the Peace Corps, successfully resolved the Cuban missile crisis (like "duck and cover" would have really done anything effective in the event of a nuclear bomb), and was a new hope for America. I remember distinctly kids crying in the hallways around 12:30 p.m. as we were going from one class to another and the news started spreading among everyone at school. One girl fell up the stairs, I remember that as though it was yesterday. My Mom worked at Shaw's Jewelry on Main Street and saw the motorcade maybe five minutes before the shooting started.

There is a larger picture here than half dollars.

Nonetheless, it is true that my life experience is one reason why, many years later, I chose the Kennedy half series to speclalize in (among others).

Best Regards,

George

ricko

I was working as a pipe-fitter on a nuclear submarine (USS Nathaniel Greene) when Kennedy was killed.... the news went through the Navy yard like wildfire... Cheers, RickO

shylock

I was working as a pipe-fitter on a nuclear submarine (USS Nathaniel Greene) when Kennedy was killed.... the news went through the Navy yard like wildfire... Cheers, RickO

Wow, I learned something knew about you on your 33,748th post ricko. Fascinating, I've been watching Kennedy docs all week but yours
is the most interesting "where were you" perspective. Especially when you consider how JFK played such a huge role in that era of
nuclear proliferation.

I was only 7 like SanctionII, was let out early from school though they didn't tell us why. We all found out immediately on the playground on our way
home. Was glued to the TV with my parents for the next few days. A lot of my childhood memories are fuzzy but those are very clear, will never forget
the funeral procession. Was the end of innocence for kids of that era and was a precursor of what was to follow the next 5 years.