Where does one get post-1964 (no silver content) Kennedy Half Dollars? My bank didn't have any. (I don't think the twenty-something girl behind the counter would know what one looked like.) Do I have to get them from a coin dealer? Will I have to pay a extra.? I just want them to spend. They'd be great for the bus. Why do you supposed these don't circ. anymore?
Just go to a different bank - try several. Ask for rolls of half dollars - sooner or later you'll find a bank that has them. If you go to a dealer - yeah you'll pay more. You can also buy them direct from the US Mint - but you'll pay more there too. There are several reasons they don't circulate - people hoard them because they think they are valuable. Other people don't like them because they think they are too heavy. Banks don't like them because it cost money for banks to handle coins - primarily for shipping. And still others don't like them simply because they prefer paper. Add to that that the half dollar coins won't work in most vending machines - and you have why they don't circulate.
I'll keep asking at the banks. (no casino's near me, unfortunately) Too bad Half Dollars don't circ much. If Feds put as much effort (and money) marketing the Half as they did with the new Gold Dollar, I think the Half Dollar would have been more acceptable to the public then Gold turned out to be. Vending mach. and parking meters could have been modified for Half Dollars at the same time they were for the Gold Dollar. Probably the only way to indroduce (or re-introduce as the case may be) large dinomination coins into the market place, is to do away with the Paper Dollar. BTW, What do you think of a $2 coin? Or a $5 coin?
Well the fed is not that good at marketing. The dollar coin is a perfect example. They spend millions on advertising a coin that most people have never seen in circulation. The half dollar is a dead issue. Trying to get the industries to modify their services to include this would be a major undertaking. No cash registers have a slot for these coins. No vending machines, no rail systems, and the list goes on and on. My suggestion is make a few friends at the bank, grocery store, and restaurant. Make it worth their while to remember you. Give your friend a coin when you see them. A wheat cent in a 2X2 works great. A worn Indian cent or Buffalo nickel is a really good impression. Ask them to keep an eye out for any coins or currency that strikes them. If they find you a few coins, throw in a little extra for them. It doesn't take much to show your appreciation. The tellers at our local bank have my cell phone number taped on their adding machine, so that they can call the minute they find something. Drop off a business card with all your friends. Make them aware that you are looking for coins. Too many collectors have a bad habit of keeping their hobby a secret. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be safe, just don't keep it a secret.
