Ever wonder why only dead Presidents (People) are on U.S. Coins?

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Nice coin. If I remember correctly it took 2 of those to make one dollar.

 

Yes you are correct. After we acquired the Islands at the conclusion of the Spanish – American War, the US Government set the exchange rate at two peso = one dollar.

This coin is one of three commemoratives struck in 1936 at the Manila Mint (the Manila Mint was the only branch mint of the US Treasury not located within the “lower 48” states”).

 

Specifics?

Thanks for all the corrections everyone! Stuff you find on the web is sometimes (often) in error -- but it was interesting looking.

 

A bit more on when the Kennedy Half Dollar was first struck ... January to February 1964. Only 2-3 months after Kennedy's death.

From the web ...

"Congressional approval was required for any design change within 25 years of the last In early December 1963, Representative Henry Gonzalez (D-Tesas) introduced a bill for Kennedy to appear on the half dollar. On December 10, 1963 the new President, Lyndon Johnson, endorsed the call for a Kennedy half dollar, asking Congress to pass the legislation promptly to allow striking of the new piece to begin early in 1964. President Johnson stated that he had been moved by letters from many members of the public to agree with the plan The bill to authorize the Kennedy half dollar passed on December 30, 1963. Work was already underway on coinage dies; the use of the already-available designs allowed for the completion of the first dies on January 2, 1964. Only proof coins were initially struck. The first Kennedy half dollars intended for circulation were struck at the Denver Mint on January 30, 1964, followed by the Philadelphia Mint the next week. A ceremonial first strike was held at both Philadelphia and Denver on February 11, 1964."

This is my infamous PCGS PR67 "Purple Proof Kennedy", that was cut out of an intact mint cello OGP Proof Set.

 

There IS NO GENERAL LAW forbidding portraying a living person on coins. There are SPECIFIC laws that forbid it on specific series. There was one for the State Quarters, and there was the one for the President dollars that required them to be dead for two years before they could appear. The law mentioned in the OP ONLY applies to currency. It was the Act of April 7, 1866, It was part of an appropriations bill and it states

Source: Statutes at Large, volume 14 39th Congress Sess I Ch 28 Ch 29 page 25. (Page 57 of the PDF file from the Library of Congress.)

 

No Royalties For Dead presidents, Ben Franklin or Noland Ryan.