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Posted by Rggoodie
I was asked this week about the hammer and sickle on the Kennedy half dollar, after a little research- Here is the info on the Kennedy Half and the Roosevelt dime.
Communist Symbols on American Coins
Since the end of the Second World War, people worried about a Communist takeover of the United States. This reached a fever pitch during the 1950s with the McCarthy Senate Hearings on Communism in the government and entertainment industry. After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a new conspiracy theory surfaced. Claims were that markings on the U.S. dime and half-dollar indicated that the Communists had infiltrated the government.
Roosevelt dime
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was considered extremely liberal, due to his social programs of the Great Depression of the 1930s. During World War II, the United States allied with the Soviet Union to fight the Nazis. Roosevelt ignored many warnings about Stalin and the Soviets and gave America excessive aid to fight the Germans.
After Roosevelt passed away, a dime was minted with his likeness. Upon examining the coin, people noticed a small "JS" near the base of his neck. To many people, these initials stood for Josef Stalin and proved that Roosevelt had been on the take from Stalin.
Since the initials are still on the dime today, some think it is an indication that Communists to run the government now and want to continue to commemorate Stalin.
Kennedy half dollar
After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a the half dollar coin was minted in his honor. People noticed that at the base of his portrait, there was a symbol that appeared to be a hammer and sickle, which was the symbol of Communism and was also seen on the Soviet flag.
Since Kennedy was considered a liberal, this Communist symbol--along with Stalin's initials on the Roosevelt dime--served to prove that the Communist were on the verge of taking over the country, by infiltrating the government and U.S. Mint.
The FACTS
Although rumors spread about a Communist take over, saner people realized that coins have the signature of the person who designed them. JS were the initials of John Sinnock, who designed the Roosevelt dime. The hammer and sickle was really a script rendition of the letters GR for Gilroy Roberts, who designed the Kennedy half dollar.
The conspiracy theory that the Communists had put their signature on U.S. coins is FALSE.
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