when was the last year the mint had regular circulation of the half dollar?

when was the last year the mint had regular circulation of the half dollar?
or another way to put it when was the first year you could only buy half dollars from the mint and not from banks

 

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My issue of the Red Book shows years and mint, 2001P, 2000P, 2000D, 2003P, 2003D, 2004P, 2004D, 2006P, 2006D, 2007P, 2007D, references footnote c. = Not issued for circulation,

 

2001. Subsequent issues were minted for collector interest and demand.....

 

That's correct. None of the business strike halves from 2002 until now were intended to be released into circulation.

 

Glad you have my back old fellow.....

 

No problem. :thumb: I just wanted to make sure the OP understood that they still made the normal business strikes after 2001 (not just the satin finish of the mint sets).

 

thanks for the help guys!

 

Not really the right question. The mint doesn't control "regular circulation", people spending money do.

When I was a kid, and beyond, right up to the advent of Kennedy halves, WLs/frankies circulated just as much as cents - well, perhaps 1/50th as much.

The end of Franklin halves, and the end of US silver coinage were pretty much contemporaneous, and resulted in widespread hoarding of the Frankies, the silver JFKs, and whatever WLs were still out and about.

People started using two quarters instead of spending their halves, and since retailers didn't take in as many, they quit routinely giving them out in change. Which brings us to the 21st Century when many of the newer computerized cash registers don't even have a compartment for 50¢ pieces.

The Mint doesn't actually limit distribution to collectors, it just doesn't get many orders from the primary coin distributors - armored car companies.

The foregoing is the deeply held belief, assuredly accurate, but non-scientific and non-researched, of a crotchety old codger (but you knew that, didn't you) who remembers being able to routinely pull Barber halves from circulation, but not doing so because he couldn't afford to "collect" things worth more than a full month's allowance!

 

Ah, the good old days.....But I didn't see any Barbers. :smile

 

I still have a couple of Barber quarters I pulled out of circulation back in the 1960s.