The History of the Half Dollar (50-Cent Coin)

The U.S. Mint made the first half dollar, or 50-cent coin, in 1794. It was made of silver and featured a woman symbolizing liberty on one side and an eagle on the other. Then from 1916 to 1947, the U.S.  Mint produced a half dollar featuring the “Walking Liberty” design created by Adolph A. Weinman. It featured an image of Liberty draped in the American flag, walking with her right arm extended and holding laurel and oak branches while the sun rose in the background. The reverse side featured an eagle perched on a rock with a pine branch. In 1948, a new design featuring an image of Benjamin Franklin on one side and the Liberty Bell on the other was released. In 1964, the U.S. Mint released the Kennedy half dollar. Issued just one year after he was assassinated, it featured an image of President John F. Kennedy on one side and an image of the Presidential Seal on the reverse. In 1971, the silver was removed from the half dollar and the U.S. Mint switched to copper-nickel clad 50-cent coins. In 1975 and 1976, the half dollar featured an image of Independence Hall in Philadelphia in place of the Presidential Seal to celebrate the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, but then the coins reverted to the original Kennedy design, which is still in use today. Since 2002, most half dollars have been minted for annual coin sets and special collections, but the Federal Reserve may still order them for circulation, and the coins are still occasionally used in monetary transactions.