It' not an item that I would be interested in. However I can understand other collectors who would be willing to pay a premium for them. Many folks go for anything in original US Mint packaging. Others might be able to sell the singles, and therefor make a profit. Still others are known as "roll collectors", and would be interested.
I can uderstand collectors paying a premimum for uncirculated rolls (although, almost double face value is a bit steep). What bothers me is that hardly any bank you go to has Kennedy halves. Shouldn't the mint do something about that? If they aren't going to push the banks into providing halves to the public, the least they could do is offer them on their website (with a small premium for shipping). Just my two cents.
Well the mint can't force banks to use any denomination of coinage. The banks order what they need in daily commerce. Because the majority of businesses do not use half dollars, they don't order them. The Federal reserve estimates about 50 million half dollars sitting in their vaults. Since they don't need them, they stopped asking the mint for them. Now the law still requires the mint to make them. Just like the Sacagawea dollar. Since no one seems to want these coins, the mint chose to sell them. No one is happy with the cost. Other than the mint. Unfortunately if you want them, it is either buy them from the mint, or from the dealer who did.
DrStrangelove - I would say that perhaps one the biggest reasons people buy these coins at a premium is because they expect to make money on them. Be it a little or a lot - that's why they buy 'em. Modern coins in high or ultra-high grades have for the past few years been selling for outrageous prices - into the thousands of dollars. Now if you thought you could find just 1 coin out of say 10 rolls that cost you $35 each - and that 1 coin would sell for $1,000 - would you buy the rolls ? Well that's one of the reasons they buy 'em
Again, I do understand collecters paying a premium in hopes of finding a special coin thats worth a lot of money. God bless them. I do that all the time. What I'm talking about is our tax dollars went to producing all of those millions of Kennedy Half dollars. They belong to us! Give me my Kennedy half dollars! IMHO the Mint should focus on collectors only after it has done its main job: producing and providing the coins and currency that the public already paid for! I want my Kennedy Halves.
Well you can always look at it this way - they didn't cost us ( taxpayers ) anything. The Mint is one of only two govt. agencies that actually operate at a profit. And those profits help pay for other stuff we'd otherwise have to pay MORE taxes for. And I don't know about you - but I pay enough as it is. More power to 'em I say
GDJMSP is absolutely correct. The US mint is the largest coin dealer in the world. Don't expect them to operate any different from any coin dealer. They sell coins for more than their cost. Just because they have the ability to make them, doesn't change the fact. Now I absolutely hate the fact that my firm has to compete with the mint, but my complaints will never stop them from doing it. I could appreciate them selling Mint and Proof sets, but circulation quality coins are a whole different subject. They currently sell Five cent coin, quarters, havles, and dollars. How long before they step up to the cent and dime?
"But selling plain coins made for cirulation for almost double?" are the sacs going to be issued for circ this year? i thought i read somwhere that they were not. doesnt that make them worth a premium to the right person?
The Kennedy Halves and the Sacs are only available through the mint again this year. Are they worth a premium? I guess to some they are. I buy both by the bag for customers who want them. If the past failed attempt at the dollar is any indicator, I would have to say the Sac dollar will be worth a dollar for a very long time.
