I was wondering, did commemorative half dollars, like the ones from the 1920s and 1930s, circulate or were they just for collectors?
They were made for collectors but a few issues what was left of the unsold mintage ended up circulating.
Circulated examples of every type exist, but are more common among the pre-Depression era coins, IIRC. I have personally seen a PCGS-certified Hawaiian graded around VF-25.
Thanks. I was interested in buying a few and was trying to get a handle on how likely they were to be in different conditions. There are some obvious fakes out there too so that makes it harder.
It depends a bit on what you consider "circulated." Some, like the Columbian halves, entered commerce and became honestly circulated. Many, however, became worn as pocket pieces. True circulated coins are much harder to find than old pocket pieces. Both are generally much harder to find than UNC examples, and there are a handful of them that are nearly impossible to find worn.
