Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy - A Handsome Couple

BillJones

I know that I have said many negative things about the First Spouse series, but there have been two exceptions. I bought the Thomas Jefferson piece, which had the Draped Bust design because Jefferson was a widower. I bought it because I have long admired the Draped Bust design on early U.S. silver. Unfortunately the Proof coin the mint sent to me was poorly made and unattractive. I sold it when I was dealer, and it probably went to scrap.

The second First Spouse coin I purchased was the Jackie Kennedy piece. The mint had informed me that they would not be shipping a coin to me until September because they were out of stock. Surprisingly the "Fulfillment Center" informed that they were shipping a coin to me about a week ago. I expected the worst. I figured I'd get one of those coins someone else had rejected because it didn't grade PR-70. Much to my delight I got a nice coin, although I think it falls just short of PR-70 because there is very tiny dull spot on the right obverse rim because of die polishing. Nevertheless the coin pleases me.

So here they are Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy in .9999 gold.





JFK was the first presidential candidate that grabbed my attention. Like most kids, my politics were a reflection of my parents views, and they had both become Democrats. My father had a beef with the Republican administration because he thought they had sent in the Wage and Hour G-men and had ruined his business. In fact he was a "yellow dog Democrat" who would have voted for the devil if the Democrats had nominated him. My mother had been raised Republican, and my grandfather on her side had been a Delaware state senator.

So JFK was my guy, and here is the button I wore during that campaign.



I didn't know it at the time, but this Kennedy - COPE button was issued by the AF of L - CIO which had its own beef with the then Delaware Democratic Senator, Allen J. Frear. Frear had rebuffed them on a piece of legislation, and they were actively looking to unseat him in favor of Republican, Caleb Boggs. When I took labor economics in college, the professor described Frear as "a southern senator" which in labor union terms met that he was unsympathetic conservative on labor union issues.

I remember shaking hands with Senator Frear one night at political gathering at my home town, Milton, Delaware. I don't know if Senator Frear noticed my Kennedy COPE button, but if he did, he didn't seem to notice. I would not have known that the group who issued it was looking to send him packing back to Delaware.

Frear lost of the election by less than 2% and was the only incumbent Democratic senator to lose his seat that year. Boggs would serve two terms in the Senate until he was defeated in 1972 by ... Joe Biden.

lasvegasteddy

beautiful to see these 2 together
cropping and image size needs a little work for proper presentation

thanks for sharing...nice lil 2 coin set !!!

joeykoins

Yes, that's the portrait of John that's elegant. Not of the new one from him. also. yes, that is a good look of Jackie too!

Zoins

Nice coins and good work by the Mint! Jackie's portrait is well done and executed by Susan Gamble and Phoebe Hemphill.

Thanks for posting your button and story as well. It's always nice to have more information about the times and events, especially your personal stories with the events and the people.

291fifth

While I am no fan of ultra-modern NCLT issues I will say that the depictions of both Jackie and JFK on those "coins" are very well executed. How long will the aura that surrounds JFK and Jackie last? They are rapidly fading into history. To children born today they will be history from an ancient era. In twenty years the Kennedy administration may be remembered about as well as that of William McKinley or James Garfield.

Zoins

<< <i>While I am no fan of ultra-modern NCLT issues I will say that the depictions of both Jackie and JFK on those "coins" are very well executed. >>

I agree. These are nice looking coins.

<< <i>How long will the aura that surrounds JFK and Jackie last? They are rapidly fading into history. To children born today they will be history from an ancient era. In twenty years the Kennedy administration may be remembered about as well as that of William McKinley or James Garfield. >>

JFK and Jackie are still relevant due to JFK's involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the space program. After all, Cuba has been in the news recently and we only just learned that the X-Men were at the Bay of Pigs

MsMorrisine

I'm looking at the islands... Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3?

ricko

Those are very nice gold coins.... Kennedy was the last democrat I voted for ... Cheers, RickO

keyman64

Those two would look nice together in a PCGS 2 coin holder.