JFK Half Dollar Something?

Sorry I'm new.
I'm not how do you say, up on the coin collection slang.
But any how, I noticed this on the bottom of JFK's neck:

 

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That is the designer's intials and is found on every Kennedy Half Dollar. Gilroy Roberts was the Chief Engraver of the Mint and he designed the obverse of the Kennedy Half Dollar. You will find the designer's initials on most modern US coins.

 

Thanks. Now don't I feel sheepish.

 

Moniz,

You will also find an "FG" on the reverse of the Kennedy between the eagle's left leg (viewer's right) and its tailfeathers. It is because Frank Gasparro designed the reverse. This is not uncommon.

For example, when Victor Brenner (VDB) designed the Lincoln cent, his initials were found on the reverse along the rim at 6 o'clock, but when it was redesigned with the Memorial reverse in 1959, his initials were moved to the obverse at the base of the shoulder and Gasparro's initials were placed on the reverse to the right of the Memorial.

You can also find similar occurrences on Jefferson nickels and American Eagles. I know this is more information than you needed, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

Chris

 

Thanks. Could you continue to try to make comments like these on my threads/posts. I want to learn everything.

 

I'll try my best. I don't usually search all of the forums. Most of the time, I usually follow the "Recent Threads" column on the right, but if there are a lot of posts to different threads, those I may be following can get pushed off the list real quick.

Chris

 

Since this thread was about the designer's initials on your Kennedy, you may be interested to know that there were some specimens from earlier years that are missing Gasparro's initials (FG) on the reverse. This was caused by overpolishing the dies at the Mint. There are some cases where the initials are only partially missing. This could have been caused by die polishing or it may have only been due to a grease-filled die. In any case, those with partial letters missing aren't worth much more than face value unless, of course, you can find one with a reverse die marker that could link it to a specific die with the "No FG".

Here is one of each from 1982.....

Chris

 

If you're new to coin collecting, might I suggest you pick up a copy of the newest edition of the Official Redbook, Guide to United States Coins, by R.S. Yeoman, Whitman Publishing.

It's considered by many to be bible on coin info and a must read.

 

here is the v.d.b.

 

Actually Victor D. Brenner's initials (V.D.B.) were removed from the reverse of the 1909 Lincoln Cents after a public uproar over the designer's initials being so prominently displayed on a coin. So some 1909 Lincoln Cents have 'V.D.B.' on the reverse and some do not. Brenner's initials remained missing on Lincoln Cents until 1918 (not 1959) when they were placed on the truncation of Lincoln's bust.

 

^ What Hobo said.

 

Yup, Hobo da' man.

One little thing about that. This lack of initials on Lincoln's bust from 1909-1917 is a very important bit of information to know. Many fake 1914d's are made from modified 1944d's, but one quick look on the bust proves these fakes for what they are, authentic 1914d's do not have initials.

Saves a little time when looking at suspect 14d's.

 

Just bought it. Thanks.

 

I envy you. I remember my first red book......that poor thing had its binding shredded by the time I was done with it.

Great first book for US coins. It can always be useful. Hopefully as you grow in this hobby you will need advanced books based upon your colelcting interests, either an error book, a cherry picker guide, or something like a specialized capped bust half book showing MANY more varieties than the red book can possibly show. Always remember, knowledge is money in coin collecting, and the red book is a start, but only a start.

I think you will thoroughly enjoy the book!

Chris

 

i just sented my son one an he is in the u.s.army !!!

 

While all that may be true, I wasn't attempting to give a complete history of the designer's initials on the Lincoln cent. My only purpose was to use the 1909 and 1959 (I never said anything about the years in between) to illustrate how they were moved to accommodate Gasparro's initials on the new reverse.

Chris

 

Start digging in and read as many posts here that you can....lots of knowledgeable people on this forum.

 

While the Red Book is an invaluable reference, the only thing that hasn't been mentioned is that you shouldn't rely on the pricing values. They are quite often overly optimistic.

Chris

 

I'm sorry to say this, but you're statement isn't complete. Knowledge is everything. Knowledge is more powerful than money. =)

 

Chris, my purpose was to point out that Brenner's initials were not moved from the reverse to the obverse in 1959; they were placed on the obverse long before 1959 (in 1918). That's all.