The 2027 Kennedy Half Dollar: A New Portrait and a Wheelchair Basketball Reverse
The 2027 Kennedy half dollar pairs a new portrait of John F. Kennedy, the first change to his likeness on the coin since 1964, with a Paralympic wheelchair basketball reverse. The U.S. Mint published both final designs on 26 October 2026. As of late October 2026, the only product that lists the coin is the 2027 Proof Set, and no release date has been announced.
Below: what each side shows, which candidate designs won, what the law asks of the coin, and how collectors are likely to get one. For the short reference version, see our 2027 half dollar design page.
What does the 2027 Kennedy half dollar look like?
The obverse: Kennedy gazing skyward
Kennedy faces right in profile with his eyes lifted. The Mint's own phrase is that he is "gazing skyward with a warm and hopeful expression." LIBERTY runs in large letters around the top of the coin. E PLURIBUS UNUM sits at the left, IN GOD WE TRUST below his chin at the right, and HALF DOLLAR curves along the bottom. The Mint's image shows an S mint mark, which marks it as a proof.
The portrait on the 2027 Kennedy half dollar is not a one-year design. It stays on the half dollar from 2027 through 2030 while the reverse changes every year.
Some quick history. Gilroy Roberts' Kennedy portrait had been on the half dollar since 1964. In 2026 the coin carried a one-year Semiquincentennial design instead, which CoinNews notes was the first year since 1964 without Kennedy on it. A later post on this blog looks at the 1964 portrait in depth.
The reverse: wheelchair basketball
The reverse shows a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player leaning hard into a drive, the ball in one hand and the large spoked wheel of his chair filling the lower left of the coin. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcs across the upper left. WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL runs down the right edge, with 2027 set just inside it.
The athlete is an adult. That matters because the quarters in the same program honor youth sports, and it is easy to assume the half dollar does too. It does not: the half dollar honors Paralympic sports.
Which candidate designs did the Mint choose?
The Mint did not publish design codes with its announcement. The codes below come from this site matching the finished designs to the candidate line art the two review panels saw: the portfolios of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). Designer and sculptor credits are as reported by CoinNews on 27 October 2026.
| Side | Final design | CCAC preferred | CFA preferred | Designer, sculptor (per CoinNews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obverse (2027 to 2030) | JFK-04 | JFK-02 | JFK-04, its #4 | Beth Zaiken (Artistic Infusion Program); Craig A. Campbell |
| Reverse (2027 only) | 50c-WCBB-01 | 50c-WCBB-01 | Its #7 | Walter O'Neal III (Artistic Infusion Program); Eric David Custer |
So the panels split on both sides, and each won one. The portrait went the CFA's way. CoinNews reports that the CFA picked JFK-04 among the new proposals while saying it still considered the original Kennedy portrait superior. The reverse went the CCAC's way: CoinNews says the Mint adopted the committee's design #1, which the CCAC had backed while suggesting a change to the basketball. The CFA's #7, which it liked for its dynamic composition and legibility, was not used.
CoinNews identifies both sculptors, Craig A. Campbell and Eric David Custer, as Mint Medallic Artists. The Mint has not published designer credits for the 2027 quarters.
What does the law require of the 2027 half dollar?
The redesign comes from Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, signed 13 January 2021. Section 4 of the act sets out the half dollar rules:
- Starting 1 January 2027, the reverse must be "emblematic of a sport tailored to athletes with a range of disabilities, including physical impairment, vision impairment and intellectual impairment."
- Each reverse honors one Paralympic sport, chosen by the Treasury Secretary after consultation with U.S. Paralympics.
- One new design a year, until the program ends with 2030.
- The obverse must "maintain a likeness of John Kennedy" but be designed to distinguish it from the half dollar portrait in use before 2027. That is why the new portrait exists at all.
- All designs are selected by the Secretary after consultation with the CFA and review by the CCAC.
After 2030 the law keeps a Kennedy likeness on the obverse and leaves the reverse to the Secretary, again after the same two panels weigh in.
Which Paralympic sports are on the half dollars?
The Mint named all four in its 26 October 2026 announcement. Here they are beside the quarter sports for the same year, from our list of all 20 youth sports quarters:
| Year | Half dollar (Paralympic sport) | Youth Sports Quarters that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Wheelchair basketball | Baseball, golf, soccer, softball, snowboarding |
| 2028 | Para climbing | American football, swimming, gymnastics, lacrosse, track and field |
| 2029 | Para ice hockey | Basketball, wrestling, tennis, cheerleading, karate |
| 2030 | Para snowboarding | Figure skating, skiing, skateboarding, volleyball, ice hockey |
Only the 2027 designs have been published. The 2028 to 2030 sports are named, but their designs are not.
How does the wheelchair basketball half dollar relate to the Youth Sports Quarters?
They are one program. The Mint's official name is the Youth Sports Coin Collection: five quarters a year honoring youth sports and one half dollar a year honoring a Paralympic sport, 2027 through 2030. That makes 24 coins in all. The Mint's media kit presents the quarters and the half dollar together.
The two denominations do not share a front. The quarters carry a new George Washington portrait, design GW-01, which you can read about on our Washington obverse page. The half dollar keeps Kennedy. The five 2027 quarters show kids playing; the half dollar shows an adult Paralympian. For a walk through the whole set, see our post on the Youth Sports Coin Collection.
Where can you get the new Kennedy half dollar 2027?
As of late October 2026 there is one confirmed way to get a 2027 Kennedy half dollar. The Mint's 2027 Proof Set subscription page lists "One Kennedy half dollar (new)" alongside the 2027 Youth Sports Quarters, a Native American $1, a Roosevelt dime, a Jefferson nickel and a Lincoln cent, all with the S mint mark. The set ships in 2027 at approximately $107, with a product limit of 480,000. Our 2027 Proof Set post covers the subscription in detail.
Nothing else has been announced: no release date, no mintage, no rolls or bags, no uncirculated set listing, and no word on circulation. CoinNews says plainly that a release date for the wheelchair basketball half dollar has not been announced. We track dates on our release dates page and will only add them once the Mint publishes them.
Collecting notes for the 2027 half dollar
Half dollars rarely turn up in change, so collectors usually buy them in rolls, bags or sets rather than waiting to find one. Expect the same for the 2027 Kennedy half dollar.
A few practical points:
- Proof and circulation strikes are different coins. The Mint's design images show the S mint mark of the proofs. Any other versions the Mint offers will be listed as separate products, so check which one you are buying.
- Plan for four coins, not one. The obverse stays the same through 2030 but the reverse changes each year, so a complete run of the half dollars is four coins per version you collect.
- Keep the half dollar with the quarters. If you are building the full Youth Sports Coin Collection, our printable checklist has room for all 24 coins.
- Do not pay up for early hype. No mintage or sale price has been published, so any claim about value is guesswork for now.
Frequently asked questions
- What is on the 2027 Kennedy half dollar?
- The obverse has a new portrait of John F. Kennedy looking upward, the first new Kennedy likeness on the coin since 1964. The reverse shows an adult Paralympic wheelchair basketball player.
- Who designed the 2027 Kennedy half dollar?
- CoinNews credits the obverse to Beth Zaiken of the Artistic Infusion Program, sculpted by Craig A. Campbell, and the reverse to Walter O'Neal III, sculpted by Eric David Custer.
- Does the wheelchair basketball half dollar show a child?
- No. The quarters honor youth sports, but the half dollar honors Paralympic sports, and the 2027 design shows an adult athlete.
- When will the 2027 half dollar be released?
- No release date had been announced as of late October 2026. The 2027 Proof Set, which includes one new Kennedy half dollar, ships in 2027.
- Will the Kennedy portrait change again after 2027?
- Not during the program. The Mint says the new portrait stays on the half dollar through 2030, while the reverse honors a different Paralympic sport each year.
Sources
- U.S. Mint press release: new circulating coin program designs for 2027 (26 Oct 2026)
- U.S. Mint media kit: Youth Sports Coin Collection
- CoinNews: US Mint unveils 2027 Kennedy half dollar (27 Oct 2026)
- Public Law 116-330 (H.R. 1923, enrolled): Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020
- U.S. Mint: Proof Set subscription (2027 Proof Set)
Published 31 October 2026. Facts checked against the sources listed above. The 2027 designs are final, published by the U.S. Mint on 26 October 2026; later years' designs are not chosen yet.