John Ray Sinnock was the eighth Chief Engraver of the US Mint. Sinnock is best known for designing the Roosevelt dime and Franklin half dollar.
John R. Sinnock’s Early Life and Education
John R. Sinnock was born on July 8, 1888, in Raton, New Mexico. As a child, he developed an interest in the arts and demonstrated a gift for sculpting. Sinnock later moved to Philadelphia, where he attended the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, which later separated into the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the University of the Arts. As he studied, Sinnock won an award for study abroad as he pursued his passions in the artistic realm. He earned his degree in Normal Art Instruction in 1913 when he was 25 years old.
Early Career
After graduating college, Sinnock joined the local arts community in Philadelphia, where he began building a network of artistic acquaintances. He produced numerous portraiture medallions in school and began displaying this work for the community while he began using his degree to teach. Sinnock worked as an art instructor at Western Reserve University and the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art.
Beginnings at the US Mint
In 1917, John R. Sinnock was hired by George T. Morgan as the Assistant Engraver and Medalist at the US Mint office in Philadelphia. One of the first projects he worked on at the Mint was the 1918 Illinois Centennial half dollar. Morgan designed the obverse, which depicted Abraham Lincoln, and Sinnock designed the reverse, featuring the Illinois state seal.
John R. Sinnock’s Role as Chief Engraver at the US Mint
He was promoted to the role of Assistant Chief Engraver in 1923. A mere two years later, George T. Morgan died and in 1925, John Ray Sinnock became the eighth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. One year into his tenure as Chief Engraver, Sinnock was given the task of designing a commemorative issue to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Sinnock’s 1926 Sesquicentennial American Independence half dollar was presented at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial International Exposition on July 4, 1926. He also designed a Sesquicentennial gold $2.50 Quarter Eagle for the occasion.
While Sinnock was not the designer, he was one of three artists who worked on the historic redesign of the Purple Heart medal. He is accredited for refining the design and modeling the medal. This design is still in use today for military personnel who are wounded or die as an act from an opposing military force while serving in the US armed forces.
The Roosevelt Dime and Franklin Half Dollar
Throughout his career at the US Mint, John Ray Sinnock worked on and designed dozens of medals and coins, but two coins stand out: the Roosevelt dime and the Kennedy half dollar.
John R. Sinnock’s Controversial Roosevelt Dime
While the design is mired in controversy, Sinnock is also credited with designing the 1946 Roosevelt dime, which was released on the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 64th birthday. Selma H. Burke made the claim that John R. Sinnock used her works to craft his design, although Sinnock maintained that his portrait was a composite of studies he had conducted during the President’s life in 1933 and 1934.
When the dime was first released, rumors abounded that Sinnock’s initials at the base of the dime’s bust were for Joseph Stalin instead of John Sinnock. This rumor coincided with the second Red Scare, where a strong anti-communist sentiment spread throughout the United States.
John R. Sinnock’s Final Design – The Franklin Half Dollar
The same year he worked on the Roosevelt dime, Mint Director Nellie Ross tasked John R. Sinnock with producing a new design for the half dollar that featured Benjamin Franklin. Sinnock developed an obverse using the profile of Franklin from a medal he had worked on in 1933. Sinnock passed away on May 14, 1947, less than two months shy of his 60th birthday.
The reverse of the Franklin half dollar was designed by Gilroy Roberts, who became the ninth Chief Engraver of the US Mint after Sinnock’s death. Gilroy used a depiction of the Liberty Bell that bore a similarity with the Liberty Bell Sinnock used on the reverse of the 1926 Sesquicentennial half dollar. The Benjamin Franklin half dollar was issued from 1948 until 1963.
