What's The Mark On Kennedy's Neck On The Half Dollar?

PCGS - Many people notice a certain mark, bulge, or oddity on the neck of John F. Kennedy's bust on the half dollar and wonder what it means. Some folks make an ominous connection between the appearance of what looks to some like an elaborate "X" on the neck to mark the location of a mortal wound sustained by President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated by an assassin's bullets during a motorcade procession in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.


Kennedy Half Dollar, 1964 50C, PCGS MS67

Other theories suggest the mark on Kennedy's neck is a communist symbol, perhaps representing two sickles - an allusion to the national symbol of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which was long identified by a stylized hammer and sickle icon. So, what's the real answer? Why is there a mark on Kennedy's neck and what does it mean?

The stamp on Kennedy's neck has nothing to do with his assassination or communist conspiracies. Rather, it's the intricate monogram of Gilroy Roberts, who served as the chief engraver of the United States Mint from 1948 through 1964. Roberts, a renowned sculptor who died at the age of 86 years old in 1992, counted the Kennedy half dollar as one of his most notable works. He designed the obverse of the Kennedy half dollar, pairing his now-famous bust of Kennedy with a reverse by Frank Gasparro incorporating the Presidential Seal.

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