spending kennedy halves

I spend the extra Kennedy Halves I have but only a few at a time. Theres been times I've given out Buffalo Nickels and Mercury Dimes in change. You never know when you might inspire a new young collector into the hobby and thats one great way to do it.

 

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I had a few more SBAs and Sacs than I wanted to keep and started spending them, especially as tips in restaurants. Every time, I have asked the waiter or other person if they know what the coin is, and they have surprised me by saying yes--even a waiter in a Chinese restaurant and a Hispanic immigrant in a McDonald's.

 

I took a couple of rolls of Sacs with me to use for tipping on my last trip. On coming back to the states, we flew into Houston International. My wife works for the local newspaper, and she likes to check out other papers, so I decided to pick up a Houston paper for her while waiting for our connecting flight. I take the paper to the counter, and the clerk tells me "50 cents please", and I handed her a Sac. She looked at it, handed it back, and told me that she needs 50 cents in "American" money. I tell her that it is American money, and she replies that "it has to be from the United States". She must not get many of those.

 

I went to the grocery store to and item just under 2 dollars. I paid with three Sac's and the young man took a hard look at them and then a hard look at me and said, "half dollars"? I smiled and said "no they are dollars", so he looks at them again. Then I said "it says so right on the coin". He either saw the dollar or gave up because he just dropped them into the drawer and gave me my change. I laughed all the way to the car.
Way to much fun!!!

 

Used $2 in Half Dollars the other day to pay for lunch and the cashier said want kind of cr.p is this - must be my lucky day. I said it is money, you know, real money. Smiled all the way out the door.

 

You know, I wonder why halfs aren't used much anymore? When I was a kid halfs were very common just like any other coin, cash registers had slots for them back then. Did the number of coin slots change in registers from 50 yrs ago?

I'll just add a note regarding halfs, a local tavern near me uses halfs on a regular basis. Bottle beer and well drinks are $2.50 and the owner must like halfs because he always gives them when making change.

Thanks, Douglas

 

Douglas:
No, there are the same number of slots in the change drawer, but now everyone uses the extra slot for rolls, foreign coins, etc.

 

Today I used 1 ike and 5 halves at mcdondalds for the total of $3.26. i say heres $3.50 ..the cashier had to have the manager count it and check the coins. manager says these are really old ...(I knew one kennedy was 1997)... i say yeah i guess so. finally i get my change and food. whille walking out guy I hear the guy behind me tryin to buy them from the cashier. haha

 

That's too bad, they used to be so common, it was just an every day occourence. I used to work at a grocery store stocking shelves. One of the fellas had the cashiers save silver dollars for him and he got a lot of them at least one or two a day. We used to go see grandma every Sunday, she'd give all us kids each a silver dollar, prolly bought candy with them.

Thanks Douglas

 

Here's a story, when we were first married we used to save change in a 5 gal (glass) Hinckley & Schmit bottle. What year did they de-monetize silver? Anyway, we needed money at the time (I forget what they were paying for face value?), so I tried shaking the coins out, that didn't work so I took a hammer to it. A lot of work sorting through the broken glass looking for the silver, but I remember feeling like we had won the Irish Sweepstakes.

Thanks, Douglas

 

The US has never demonetized silver.

Except for proof coins and some reduced silver content Kennediies, no silver coins dated later than 1964 have been issued, although millions were minted in the years immediately following 1964 with the 1964 date.

 

I spent a Kennedy half the other day in a local store run by an Indian family. The cashier had to ask someone what kind of coin this was.

 

I think the original question related to the substantial termination of circulating silver coins as of 1965, and my answer was in that context. I wasn't thinking about the various 19th Century events involving silver.

The cessation of minting silver coins without canceling the monetary status of those already circulating is not demonetization. Demonetization involves stripping a circulating coin of its monetary status. That's what happened to, among many examples, Trade Dollars in the U.S. and (temporarily) in Japan; to francs, marks, and the other former currencies replaced by the Euro; to English pre-decimal coins; and to the old Mexican coins when the Peso was devalued by 1000. In those cases it was never the metal being stripped of monetary status, only the coins themselves.

 

Friends,

My use of the term demonitize was prolly my bad, but what year did the feeding frenzy on spot/melt silver happen? It had to be in the early seventies because I got married in 1969. If I remember, traders were giving 3X face value? I know it wasn't based on weight, the price was based on face value.

Thanks, Douglas

 

Douglas:
The buying selling started in the mid 70's.
And the buying/selling is still based on face value.

 

Yes, i've had younger tellers try telling me they weren't "real" coinage. HA she had to call her manager over to explain what they were.

 

Don't count on that. When I went to work for the first time back in 1978 the we used a little older cash register (Not REAL old) and the tray contained six slots. Later when we got a more modern one it only had five slots. I have seen cash drawers with trays that only had four slots.

 

Today at the supermarket I used 2 $2 bills. I hand the money to her and she just looking at me. Then she has to ask the manager if they take $2 bills!! Manager comes over she asks. I say "I hope you take money" . Manager telsl her just put them in the food stamp draw. I almost used Ikes too, next time. Its bad when cashiers recognize food stamps better than American currency!

 

Tongiht I went to spend a Kennedy half at the store where I'm a regular. The older lady wasn't in, so I dealt with a girl around my age (early 20's) She was mopping the floor, saw the item I was buying was 85 cents, and knows that I usually pay in exact change. She said "85 cents" saw that I pulled out some change and said " cool. I don't have to stop mopping." I put the money (one Kennedy, 3 Roosevelts, and one Jefferson) on the counter. I said, "I'm using a half dollar. Bet you don't see many of those". She gave it a crazy look, and said "aren't those worth money?". I said " Only certain dates. And I have plenty of them anyway. Have a good night!" I think her jaw was still dropped when I exited the store. Its strange how people don't know anything about money that is still legal tender, and still produced by the mint.