Ever seen a vending machine accept half dollars?

As a youngster in the 1940's and 1950's, into the early '60's I recall plenty of fifty cent pieces in circulation. Cash drawers had slots for the halves and I recall seeing the slots holding the coins (a friendly corner grocer let me go through the change drawers for oddball coins).If I recollect correctly the big change happened in 1964 with the Kennedy dollars being snapped up and kept for souvenirs by grieving citizens. Even though the mint turned these things out in large numbers they just did not go into circulation. Then with the changeover to cupro-nickel in 1965 everything silver started to go out of circulation (even the 40% halves). By the time the dust settled people just got out of the habit of using them. As for vending machines taking them I cannot recall seeing any of them.

 

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There were slot machines that took half dollars.
But most/or all of those have been converted to paper in paper out.

 

My dad was a small retailer and I remember Peace dollars, Morgan dollars, AND half dollars routinely in the cash drawer.

 

I lived on US Army bases in West Germany in the late 1950's and early 1960's, and I remember that 50 cents would buy me a cheeseburger, an order of fries and a grape soda at the local PX snack bar and still leave me with 20 cents in change. Not bad.

 

The self check out machines at Wal mart and Home Depot (in the st louis area) accept halves.

 

I’m in my 60s and sure do remember half dollars in general circulation. But I can’t recall any vending machine that took them. Of course, if one put a quarter in a machine, he’d get back a cold drink and 15 cents in change.

Anybody remember McDonald’s ad campaign: “You get lunch and change for your dollar?”

 

Yep, and in a day when a regular hamburger, small fries and drink was considered "lunch", rather than "appetizer" for the Double Quarter-Pounder With Cheese and Super-Mega-Fries.

In those days (late 60s-early 70s), though, I think vending machines were already turning down half dollars. Not positive, but I think so.

Today, here in central NC, self-checkout and vending machines will either reject them or not even let them fit in the slot (only large enough for small dollar coins). The only exception I've verified is Wal-Mart self-checkout, but I need to try it at Food Lion too, because their machines look and act like the Wal-Mart ones.

Oh, and CoinStars are still happy to take them, of course. But I don't think they take Ikes or other large dollars.

 

No but I do remember french fries a dime, Hamburgers .25 and cheeseburgers .30 cents. They used to have a deal at our local as kids where they would fill a bag with hamburgers for like $2.00 or $3.00 that was the only time as kids we were able to go out to get fast food was when they had there deals.

 

My uncle was stationed in Alaska with the USAF from 1949-1964. US gold coins were commonly used for everyday commerce at face value. I sure wish I could have been there!

Chris

 

I had a 1967 Pontiac GTO in Dec. 1967. I would drive to a McDonald's in Manchester, CT where the hamburgers were 15 cents.

 

I had a '66 Goat, and 103 octane was 25-30c a gallon.

Chris

 

I remember the first time I swore I would quit smoking: went into a 7-11 and cigs were up to 70 cents a pack. Outrageous!

 

Not in my lifetime. In fact I'd say that was one of the reasons half dollars didn't circulate-vending machines didn't accept them. They pretty much disappeared upon the introduction of the Kennedy 50c in '64 and were in decline before that.

 

Those were great days and prices, weren't they?
No one remembers that, or brags about, the best paying jobs only earning you $60 to $75 per week in the early 1960s.
Yeah, good times.

 

Were they? I've seen plenty of worn Franklin halves -- not as many as Walkers, but then the Franklins circulated for less than 20 years before all silver got Greshamed.

In fact, thinking about it more closely:

The vast majority of Barber halves, along with quarters and dimes, circulated until the rims were gone and the dates were going.

The vast majority of early Walkers are heavily worn. Likewise SLQs, early Washingtons, and early Mercs.

Later Walkers are often better preserved -- but so are quarters and dimes from the same period. (Just look at any ten 1943-1945 Mercury dimes compared to any ten from the teens or early 20s.)

Based on wear patterns, it seems to me that halves must've circulated about as much as dimes and quarters, right up to the point where silver was taken out of circulation. But I wasn't around, so I don't have firsthand knowledge. Anyone else?

 

As a mailroom messenger for United Fruit headquarters in late 1960's Boston I was paid $70 per week, so yes, I do get that compensation was equivalent to expenses.

 

Around 1971, I made $2 an hour sacking groceries. For a kid, I was rich.

 

For a kid, you were. I was a married adult at the time, making not a heck of a lot more per hour than you.

 

Back when the mint was selling $250 bags of presidential dollar for free shipping I used to buy them with a credit card and get 2% back. Then I would just use them everywhere to get rid of them (kept a few good ones) and start again. At first I also got strange looks but the regular places I went quickly got used to it. One convenience store the owner got to the point of asking me if I had a whole roll to trade for $25: I got rid of a lot that way. No idea why he wanted them.

 

Such riches! I was working a summer job as a student that year and earned a little more than £7 per week after tax (less than $20 at the time) for a 40 hour week. Of course, I could get fish and chips and a pint of bitter for the equivalent of less than the half dollar this thread is about.