1963 was a memorable and eventful year in World history

• Martin Luther King made his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech in front of an estimated quarter of a million people

• The Beatles released their debut album ‘Please Please Me’ which spent an incredible 30 weeks at number one on the UK LP charts

• The most famous robbery in British history took place, The Great Train Robbery, with £2.6 million stolen, which is equivalent to £55 million in today’s money

However, the standout memory for many came with the assassination of John F Kennedy, in Dallas, Texas.

The 35th President of the United States, JFK served at the height of the cold war with the Soviet Union and is regarded as one of the most charismatic presidents of all time.

At the age of just 42, he was, and still is to this day, the youngest President to ever be elected and due to the young age and good looks of he and his wife Jackie, they had more in common with the movie and pop stars of the day than to some of his political allies and rivals.

When the news broke on the 22nd of November 1963, many people still to this day can remember where they were. Time seemed to stand still for a moment across the world.

The following year, in honour of JFK, the US Mint released a special silver half dollar with a design of the president that was personally approved by both his wife Jackie and brother Robert Kennedy. When they were first released to the public on the 24th of March 1964, the queue at the Treasury Department stretched a block long.

For collectors of Sovereigns, memorable year dates are highly desirable and the 1963 Sovereign captures a year that still lives long in the memory for millions of people around the world to this very day.