President Kennedy 's assassination in November 1963 led to calls to honor him with a place on one of the circulating coins , and the Kennedy half dollar was authorized by Congress on December 30 . When 26 million of the new coins were issued on March 24 , 1964 , they were immediately hoarded , both by investors and by those wanting a memento of Kennedy , and the situation did not ease as more coins were produced . One-third of the record-breaking 202.5 million ounces of silver used in coinage in 1964 thus became coins that did not circulate . Congress allowed the Mint to continue to strike 1964-dated pieces into 1965 , hoping to make them not worth putting aside
assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Coinage Act of 1965