Well other than being out of habit, lets say the hype has died down they are starting to produce the CuNi clad halves an just maybe after a couple years circulation strats to pick up, and now it's 1975 and for two years the halves are Bicentennials and the hoarding craze starts over again.
Lunch money when I was in high school (and guess the year), a Franklin half was sufficient to buy lunch (or whatever mystery meat we were served that day).
Wow! I just ran into this topic, Googling, looking for possible vending machine coin mechs that could take halves, and found this topic. I did not know that 2014 would be the 50th Aniversary of the Kennedy Half, and I am going to be writing to certain people (Congress, U.S. Mint, Vending Industry, etc.) to encourage a redesign of a smaller half that would work in vending machines with a simple reprogramming and half dollar tube added to the machines. There might be a chance of getting halves redesigned, if not circulating in 2014 when the aniversary happens.
I don't think the government will move fast enough to have that done by 2014 and probably 2015. lol It would be cool to see them come out with something to celebrate the anniversary though.
I suspect they already have something up their sleeve. Perhaps a solid gold coin. Just what we need another commemorative. Start saving your piggy-banks. They will be sky-high. Robert Winters
They should eliminate it. And while they are at it, we can revamp the entire coinage system by eliminating the cent, nickle, dime, one dollar bill and 5 dollar. replace them with a dime size quarter, a quater sized half and a nickle sized dollar. Make a cartwheel size $5.00 coin. Then add a $500 dollar bill.
Oh, the vending machine companies would have a field day with your ideas, mrbrklyn! I do have to agree that the cent and nickel are foolish to keep in production, as they lose money on every single one. As for the half, I'd say give it a really well designed reverse for 2014. Then it can go out in style. Then stop production of the denomination. As for the dollar coin/ bill controversy, that is another subject!
Mrbrklyn, bad idea! Love the half! Discontinue those quartersized dollar coins! Make a dollar the size of an Ike!
They take credit cards and who cares. The underlined reason that the half is not curculating is that you need 4 of them and a quarter to by the NY Times. They are big and worthless. A coin as large as the half MUST have some decent purchasing power. If you can't get at least a half gallon of milk, then what the heck are you caring it for. Nobody cares about change any more. I'm litterly swimming in it around the house.