I just picked up a roll of Kennedy Half dollars from the local bank. There were no 40% or 90% silver coins in the roll sadly. My question revolves around significant edge wear on a 1986 Kennedy half. It seems to have worn smooth. I have not seen this on any other half dollars in the roll...even the ones from the early 1970s. Is this normal? Are the planchlets weaker for 1986 than other years? It definitely does not seem like a strong strike. All the best toward the New Year. Thanks Mike
I don't think there was any difference in the planchet for 1986. What you may have is counting machine damage. Can you post a picture of the coin in question?
It is normal. I used to buy $500 boxes of halves to roll-search, and I found this on numerous coins. Unfortunately, I do not know what causes it. I did hear that these coins were used quite heavily in Las Vegas in the slot machines, and this would seem to be a plausible explanation for the lack of reeding on the edges.
I too have heard this explanation. It makes sense. If you go through enough rolls of Kennedy halves you will see many coins with the reeding entirely worn off. Nothing special.
Mike, what they said, they're quite common. And the dates are indeed random. Search a box and I imagine you'll run across several of these. FWIW, I always "wondered," too...
Thanks for all of the updates...It sounds like it isn't worthy up getting a photo online. I will start spending them this week.
I just got a Peace dollar in not too long ago. It has the date entirely scratched off. Someone told me this was a "Vegas dollar." They supposedly scratched the dates off to discourage people (collectors) from taking them home. If this is true, it angers me. Who knows what numismatic treasures have been destroyed.
I live in Las Vegas and just started looking through halves. Have bought several hundred $$$ from the casinos and have found many many of these coins with various years to be smooth all around the edge with no sign of reeding at all, several in each roll. So it got me wondering too? Could it be a mint error?? After reading this, I guess not. OH WELL
That's a bunch of horsehockey. Even when the cartwheels were used exclusively, there is no way that the casinos would bother taking the time to deface them. They were making too much money to care. The casinos began replacing them with $1 gaming tokens in the mid-60's when the US went to clad coins. Today, there are very, very few machines that pay out real dollars, and in most cases the supply of cartwheels has dwindled to the point where they were being replaced with SAE's. Many of the silver dollars eventually turned up in hoards from the likes of Binion and Fitzgerald, and who knows how many unknown hoards have yet to be discovered. Chris
coins with no edge reeding hello i have several kennedy half's with no reeding on the edge and have been told they are old slot machine coins but my question is if the coin is worn down far enough to be smooth would it not be smaller in dia. ? by say .010" at least ? i have measured some of the coins i have and they are with in .005" of each other the new kennedy half is 1.204" in in dia i have a 1999 that is as smooth no marks at all it measures 1.196", 1980 1.201", 88 1.201", 89 1.199",90 1.199"", is this normal wear ? i think you would be able to see the scribe lines on the edge of the worn coins. thanks for any input Norval
well I don't know any machines could put dammed on these coins like that I hive just gotten like two hundred off them.. and they are all like that ,, WHENI SEE THESE COLLECTORS SAY THAT THE LETTERS HAVE BEEN CUT DOWN, ETC .. I REALLY THIN K THESE ATRE MINTING ERRAS I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MACHINE REMOVE METAL FROM A COIN?. I THJINK A PRO NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THESE COINS AND DSEE IF ITS A MINT ERRRA OUR SLOT MACHINES REMOVING THE EDGES FROM COINS VERY VERY INTERESTING,, KEEP ME UPDATED PLEASE..
