Gilroy Roberts (March 11, 1905 – January 26, 1992) was an American sculptor. He served as the ninth Chief Engraver of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

from 1948 until 1964.

Career

Roberts is perhaps most famous for designing the obverse of the Kennedy Half Dollar. At the Philadelphia Mint he was designing and engraving coins, and presidential and congressional medals. After being hired in 1936, Roberts worked as an understudy to John R. Sinnock. During his career, he engraved medals for

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, John F. Kennedy, and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

. Roberts retired from the U.S. Mint in 1964 to join The Franklin Mint, a private foundation that was established in the same year. He is the first Chief Engraver to retire from the position, as each of his predecessors held the position until their deaths. Roberts appeared as himself on the April 20, 1964 episode of the CBS gameshow ''

To Tell The Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

''.

Personal life

Roberts married Lillian Sharpless Pancoast in 1927, and they had a son.

References

1905 births 1992 deaths United States Mint engravers American male sculptors 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists Sculptors from Pennsylvania Artists from Philadelphia 20th-century American engravers {{coin-stub