The United States Mint has unveiled the designs for its 2027 half dollar, featuring a new portrait of President John F. Kennedy and a reverse honoring Paralympic wheelchair basketball. Released Oct. 26, the images offer the first look at the selected designs for a four-year series celebrating sports adapted for athletes with disabilities.
Beginning in 2027, Kennedy will return to the half dollar following a one-year absence for America’s 250th anniversary. The new portrait shows Kennedy gazing skyward with a warm and hopeful expression, replacing the familiar likeness by Gilroy Roberts introduced in 1964. It will remain in use through 2030, while the reverse will change annually to recognize a different Paralympic sport.
Designs Follow Earlier Advisory Reviews
Selection of the new designs followed reviews by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), which considered competing proposals for both sides of the coin.
As CoinNews detailed in April, the two advisory panels differed in their recommendations. For the obverse, the CCAC favored candidate #2, while the CFA preferred candidate #4 among the new proposals, although it considered the original Kennedy portrait superior.
Recommendations also differed for the wheelchair basketball reverse. The CCAC backed candidate #1, suggesting a modification to the basketball, while the CFA supported candidate #7, citing its dynamic composition and legibility. The latter panel also proposed changes to the inscriptions, date placement and depiction of the cropped wheelchair.
The final selections split between the two panels’ preferences. The new Kennedy obverse follows the CFA’s recommended design #4, while the wheelchair basketball reverse adopts the CCAC’s recommended design #1.
The Kennedy portrait was designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program artist Beth Zaiken and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist Craig A. Campbell. For the wheelchair basketball reverse, Artistic Infusion Program artist Walter O’Neal III created the design, while Mint Medallic Artist Eric David Custer sculpted it.
Kennedy Returns After 2026 Redesign
Kennedy’s return follows a historic year for the half dollar. For 2026, the Mint replaced his portrait with a special Enduring Liberty design celebrating the nation’s Semiquincentennial, marking the first time since 1964 that the president had not appeared on the denomination.
Featuring a close-up of the Statue of Liberty on its obverse, the 1776 ~ 2026 half dollar depicts Liberty passing her torch to a new generation on the reverse. Both designs were authorized for one year only.
The redesigned half dollar entered circulation and was also offered in collector rolls and bags, while special editions bore ALWAYS REMEMBER and NEVER FORGET 9-11-01 privy marks commemorating the September 11 attacks.
Four Paralympic Sports Through 2030
Authorized under the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-330), the upcoming half dollar series will recognize sports adapted for athletes with physical, visual or intellectual disabilities.
Following wheelchair basketball in 2027, the scheduled reverse themes are:
- 2028 — Para Climbing
- 2029 — Para Ice Hockey
- 2030 — Para Snowboarding
Accompanying the half dollars will be a new series of youth sports quarters, with five designs issued annually. The 2027 quarters will honor baseball, golf, soccer, softball and snowboarding.
“Participation in sports teaches teamwork, perseverance, and the value of working toward a common goal,” said Mint Director Paul Hollis in announcing the program. “Through the Youth Sports Coin Collection, the Mint has a unique opportunity to instill a sense of national pride and to celebrate the role sports play in the lives of all Americans.”
A specific release date for the 2027 wheelchair basketball half dollar has not yet been announced, nor has the Mint detailed its availability in collector products.
