What Has Happened To Halves?

[Half-Hound]

The visible wear on many Barber halves, Walking Liberty halves and Franklin halves testify to their heavy use in daily commerce. But in the last 40 or 50 years I can't remember a single time seeing a (Kennedy) half used by a cashier when giving change, or anyone using one to make a purchase. What has happened to halves?

Half-Hound

 

[47thelement]

The coin is just too big for the average American to carry in their tight fittin' jeans.

 

[DigginThePast]

The Kennedy Half was produced to honor JFK. People saved them to honor him as well as those that saved them due to silver content. I think that by the time people would have felt comfortable enough to spend them they were just used to saving them. Several people outside the hobby still believe that they are rare or contain precious metal.

 

[JD-GA]

Because the laziness factor between grabbing 2 quarters vs 1 half dollar isnt significant enough. I mean if you had to count out 5 dimes every time you gave 50cents back you might see it more often.

 

[Rich Hartford]

The Kennedy Half was produced to honor JFK. People saved them to honor him as well as those that saved them due to silver content. I think that by the time people would have felt comfortable enough to spend them they were just used to saving them. Several people outside the hobby still believe that they are rare or contain precious metal.

What happened is you can't really buy anything with a half dollar anymore. When I was a kid,My mother would send me to the corner store with a half dollar (Usually a Ben,sometimes a walker) To buy a pack of L&M'S and then next door to the bakery to buy a round loaf of Italian bread. I had to make sure I brought back the change.
I always looked forward from a visit from my grandmother who would often times give me a half dollar. That was serious money for a kid. I could buy toys with that much money.
Because one could make a lot of purchases with coins they were used more than today.
HH
Rich

 

[AGCoinHunter]

The Kennedy Half was produced to honor JFK. People saved them to honor him as well as those that saved them due to silver content. I think that by the time people would have felt comfortable enough to spend them they were just used to saving them. Several people outside the hobby still believe that they are rare or contain precious metal.

What happened is you can't really buy anything with a half dollar anymore. When I was a kid,My mother would send me to the corner store with a half dollar (Usually a Ben,sometimes a walker) To buy a pack of L&M'S and then next door to the bakery to buy a round loaf of Italian bread. I had to make sure I brought back the change.
I always looked forward from a visit from my grandmother who would often times give me a half dollar. That was serious money for a kid. I could buy toys with that much money.
Because one could make a lot of purchases with coins they were used more than today.
HH
Rich

Funny how those (walkers, bens) were common place back in those days. Now people freak out when they find one. Who knows, maybe we are finding the same ones you spent as a kid.

 

[fistfulladirt]

What's crazy is, I'm 48, and as many Ike's that were minted, I don't remember carrying those either. Mr grandma would occasionally give us kids a "silver dollar" (Ike) now and then. ffd

 

[how u do n]

That is why I "always" give out a half dollar instead of 2 quarters at my store.

I love to see how people react when I hand them out. Plus it's a easy way

of dumping them.

If anyone else owns a business think about using them

Gl
HH
Dan

 

[DrDetector]

That is why I "always" give out a half dollar instead of 2 quarters at my store.

I love to see how people react when I hand them out. Plus it's a easy way

of dumping them.

If anyone else owns a business think about using them

Gl
HH
Dan

I worked for the PA Turnpike for the summer of 2002 and 2003 during college. The tollbooth I worked at cost exactly 50 cents for a regular car to go through. As you can imagine, many times people would pay with currency, and I would give halves out as change. I used to circulate $40-$50 a day that way, and would rarely get any back.

My roommate now owns a business in our town and I supply him with $2s and halves for use as change. He says the kids in town like to get these back as change when buying candy or drinks or whatever. Great way to dump!

 

[50centman]

I agree with you Rich. In the early to mid 50s I used to go to the corner drug store with a quarter once in awhile and buy a comic book, a fountain cherry coke and a Hersey's bar. My wife says they're too heavy. Most people think they stopped making them. I use them to pay at Drive-ups and the most people think they are special. Little do they know! Perhaps if vending machines took them they would be used more. Basically, inflation has strangled them almost out of existence.

 

[coolpix9]

Slot Machines Did The Most Damage !!!!

 

[Diver_Down]

It isn't about inflation or the fact that a half dollar doesn't buy anything today. If that was the valid reason, then you wouldn't see the millions of quarters, dimes, and nickels minted every year. Afterall, what can you buy for a quarter or a dime? The truth of the matter is that it was confluence of events that eliminated halves from circulating.

As Rich and others chimed in, a half dollar was common circulating coinage when they were younger. It was an American tragedy occurred when Kennedy was assassinated. He was a beloved President and the nation was mourning. Franklin hadn't been on the half dollar long enough where the Secretary of the Treasury could make the design change unless Congress passed legislation authorizing a change. It was originally proposed that Kennedy be memorialized on the quarter as the quarter had Washington on the obverse for longer than 25 years (the minimum amount of time a design must be on a coin before the Sec. of Treasury can make a change without Congress' approval.) Of course, the quarter didn't seem worthy enough to memorialize such a beloved President. Congress went to work and in quick time approved the design change to the half dollar.

At the time, the rising cost of silver was also making it difficult for the mint to continue to issue coinage on 90% planchets. As you know, a composition change in our coinage was proposed and approved for coinage minted after 1964 to eliminate the precious metal. This act alone, caused the public to hoard silver coinage. This in turn caused a national coin shortage. Congress tried to pin it on coin collectors, but it was really the general public that was hoarding the coinage. Congress went so far as eliminating mint marks in the late 60's to discourage coin collectors and rectify the coin shortage.

New Kennedy halves could not be minted fast enough. People were limited to a single roll at the time. These coins were promptly put away as a true memorial to their beloved President. The mint continued to issue 1964 halves mid-way through 1965 to meet the demands of the general public. Of course these halves never circulated. With the other denominations composed of CuNi, the mint couldn't continue to issue 90% silver halves. They also couldn't use the new CuNi planchet as it wasn't a "fitting" memorial to Kennedy and the public was still upset that the other denominations had no precious metal and was "worthless". Congress made a compromise for the half dollar denomination and mandated a composition change of 40% silver. Well, the general public could read the tea leaves and knew it was only a matter of time before all precious metal content was removed so these 40% halves were hoarded. Eventually, in 1971, all precious metal was removed from our circulating coinage.

By then the damage was done to the half as a circulating denomination. Any half dollar that someone came across was hoarded and the general public became used to making change with the new "worthless" coinage.

 

[AGCoinHunter]

Nice write up there DD. Now 40+ years later people pass on and their hoards of Kens are getting cashed in by their kids who have no clue they are worth anything.

 

[Diver_Down]

Nice write up there DD. Now 40+ years later people pass on and their hoards of Kens are getting cashed in by their kids who have no clue they are worth anything.

Well that and the fact that there was a contingent of the general population that never anticipated that Kennedy would remain on the half dollar. Many speculated that it was a short term design change, and hoarded the halves in the hope of making a quick buck reselling them years later. Of course, the design never changed, and their hopes of making that money never materialized. In time, the hoards were sequestered to the top shelves of closets and attic corners and forgotten. Some did cash in when silver spiked in the eighties, but a vast majority are being sold at roving hotel coin buyers or turned in at the bank.

 

[rileyboy]

Diver Dan,...and Rich,
Excellent response and you are right on the money with what you said. I'm 65 years old and I was a small time coin collector back when I was about ten years old. Cutting lawns ands getting paid $2.00 with mercury dimes or Walking Half dollars. Also searched for coins under the boardwalks where I grew up on the New Jersey shore and always found lots of coins. Of course, everthing but pennies and nickels were 90% silver back then and NO ONE ever thought that would change. What's that old saying....."wish I knew then what I know now." Anyway, Rich is also right on the money as well. Used to go to the store with half dollars from mom to buy things. Got a lot for your money back then. Rich!, Do you remember when the Lucky Strike or Chesterfield packs of cigarettes gave you back two wheat pennies on the side of the pack under the cellophane as change. In those days a pack of cigarettes only cost 23 cents, so if you put a quarter in the machine the two pennies were your change. My dad always let me keep them. Now! my goodness, you have to be eighteen to buy smokes for your dad. AND...I never had to wear a helmet to ride my bike to the store. How did Rich and I ever survive. I can just hear my mother say "Are you kidding me...you want me to buy you a helmet to ride your bike!" Anyway, I handled so many Walking Liberty Half Dollars and Mercury Dimes growing up, I sometimes wonder how many, if any" 1938-D's or 1916-D's passed threw my hands and I never new it or thought to look.
rileyboy

 

[rickomatic]

How did Rich and I ever survive. I can just hear my mother say "Are you kidding me...you want me to buy you a helmet to ride your bike!"

LOL...you got that right. She probably just said what my mom used to say to us back in the 50's. "Make sure you get home by the time the streetlights come on."

 

[CHAINCHOMP]

coin counters at banks eat them
danged, if every time i dump a box of halves at ent federal cu, (they all have the exact same coin counters) u can hear inside the machine where there are halves stuck between the counting wheel, and where the coin is excepted into its proper slot, just inside the machine, spinning around as the counting wheel rotates...sometimes its even $1.50-$2.00 stuck in there! sometimes i have the coin machine attendant person open it up, and get them out for me, since im losing $$$ w/ all of my skunks, and they are hot from the friction, and really thick, cuz the machine pushed the rim outwards, and there are a bunch of details missing from the coin!!! this happens almost EVERYTIME!!! now why would the make a coin counter that has a hard time counting halves it amkes me so mad! oh well...enough rambling.
keep it up and hh!

 

[LJHanley06]

Used to get a Dollar from Mom in early 70s...sometimes a Half and go to the Movies...in my town it cost 25C for the Movie and you could get popcorn/drink for the other 25C...I wish It was 1973 again.

 

[Half-Hound]

Thanks everyone for the information. Many recalled memories of the "good old days." It made me also think of earlier times; like my family's phone number. We were on a party line. Our "number" was 3 longs and 2 shorts. Has anyone else ever been on a party line?

Half-Hound

 

[fistfulladirt]

Thanks everyone for the information. Many recalled memories of the "good old days." It made me also think of earlier times; like my family's phone number. We were on a party line. Our "number" was 3 longs and 2 shorts. Has anyone else ever been on a party line?

Half-Hound

I work for the largest telecommunications company in the world. Believe it or not, until about 3 years ago we still had party lines. Sometimes a pain in the rear to work on. Usually the elderly still kept theirs, 'cause they were saving a buck a month on their phone bill.

ffd