Half Dollars

When I was growing up in Iowa in the 1960s, we used half dollars all the time. There were still a lot of those beautiful walking liberty halves in circulation. Now you seldom see halves. Why? (Is it because the Kennedy halves are so ugly?)

 

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nah. I think it's because people did not want to carry such a big coin.

 

Maybe so, but it didn't used to seem to bother people. We used silver dollars, also, which were twice as big.

 

Maybe because people don't get these in change anymore. How many times have you received half dollars in change at the grocery store? How spend it if you don't have it? All stores carry rolls of pennies, nickels. dimes, quarters, but none halves or dollars. I don't think size is the cause. The presidential dollar are about the same size as a quarter and still not popular.

 

It occurs to me that halves and dollars usually can't be used in vending machines. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

 

NO one likes to carry change anymore. It's ALL about the Benny Franklin's

 

Because the Franklins were ugly also?

 

The best explanation was the hoarding of silver which removed all of the WLs, Franklins and '64 Kennedies. They came out with the 40% coins in 1965 but people still hoarded them because they had Kennedy on them and they kept them as a souvenir.

So the saying goes "An assassin killed Kennedy, and Kennedy killed the half".

 

I've never liked the Kennedy half. In fact, I've never liked president's faces on any coins, though I grew up with the Lincoln cent and like the Lincoln wheat cents. The old coins were so beautiful - buffalo nickel, Mercury dime, standing liberty quarter, walking liberty half, and Morgan dollar. Bring them back!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

An alternative history question - what if the Kennedy half had been chosen as the basis for the statehood series instead of the quarter?

 

Again this new forum format double posted my reply.

 

An alternative history question - what if the Kennedy half had been chosen as the basis for the statehood series instead of the quarter?

 

Since no one uses half dollars, the series might hardly be noticed?

 

I think it has something to do with valuation. Back in the 1960's, accounting for inflation, the Half Dollar was about the equivalent to a $5 coin today. It was easily spent on goods and logical to have in your pocket. Where as now days, you can't really buy anything for a single 50-cent piece besides maybe a pack of gum so you would have to carry a whole roll full of them. If the Mint started making larger denomination coins, like $5, $10, $20, I think we would see them circulate much more frequently.

 

I hadn't thought of that. Money really was worth a whole lot more back then.

 

Boo!

 

Do you like the Franklins? I like all the old stuff, but I think the walking liberty halves were better than the Franklins.

 

This is true, my fathers and uncles also had circulating 500 and 1000 dollar bills, now the reason given for not producing them is usually that it makes criminal activity easier. But if you look at it another way, by not allowing 500 and 1000 dollar bills you have two choices either keep stacks of money around or use the banking system.

 

When did they stop producing the 500 and 1000 dollar bills?

 

The last $500 & $1000 Dollar bills had a date of 1934, but I'm not sure exactly when the BEP decided to stop making them.