The US 1977 Half Dollar, featuring John F. Kennedy, was designed by Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro to honor the late president. By 1977, the US 1977 Half Dollar was struck in a copper-nickel clad, reflecting the 1971 end of silver in circulation due to rising costs. This change marked economic shifts amid inflation and energy crises.
The US 1977 Half Dollar maintained Kennedy’s portrait, symbolizing hope during political unrest post-Watergate. Its durable metal suited mass production in a changing economy. The US 1977 Half Dollar thus combined modern materials, national memory, and Roberts’ iconic design in a time of transition.