I just recently purchased 20 of these coins that are in Au+ condition for just over melt. I notice that the red book indicates that the mintages figures are approximate as many were melted in 1982. I am then surprised that the going rate for these is not that much more then melt even in Bu condition. So is this the case that being a highly saved coin it is not worth that much even with an unknown amount melted. I also purchased some quarters that in the same boat as the halves and can only think that supply, demand and how many were saved plays a big part in all coins.
They made two different of these. The first were struck to mint set standards and sold in plastic sleeves with a white stripe. There were a few types of packaging used. The second type were run off on high speed presses when the mint came to believe they were required to mint some 14,000,000 coins by the authorizing legislation in June/ July 1976. These "high speed" versions were unceremoniously dumped into 55 gallon drums for storage. They were sold right up through 1982 in pale red light weight envelopes in sleeves with no white stripe. It was actually possible briefly in 1979 to buy these at or below melt before the mint hurriedly raised prices. Many of these sold in '79/ '80 went into the melting furnaces. Sales however were very poor because the quality of these later sets was terrible. Is it possible your AU's are just these much scarcer high speed versions? Large numbers were melted in '82 but they were all the ones stored in drums. Probably more than 3,000,000 of the better sets were produced but these were melted to some extent by the market. There is something of a premium for intact sets here but only the Ike has a small premium to melt individually.
Cladking excellent info and as said many times before you need to write a book or two. They were sold to me in 2 x 2 so if they were the high speed ones they were the cream of the crop as some would grade 63+.
