Best way to keep current with Halves & Dollars?

DBSTrader2

I've been collecting coins in Whitman blue folders since I was a kid, and got my kids into doing the same.

These days, we're pretty much left with just keeping current with each year's releases and pulling nice specimens from circulation or bank rolls.

Since halves & N.A. $'s stopped circulating, we've had to depend on help from fellow collectors to stay current with the 5 (halves) & 3 (N.A's) needed each year from both the Philly & Denver Mints, since we don't need anywhere near the quantities offered for sale via bags/rolls by the Mint. There's no longer any good/convenient coin shops near us, all the previously-local coin shows have pulled up stakes & moved elsewhere or have been shuttered for Covid, and eBay hasn't been much help or reasonable either. So we're behind on 2020 thru 2022.

We've toyed with the idea of just stopping our halves/N.A. $ collections at this point (and didn't even start with the subscription-only "Inno-Bucks" for the same reason), but it's hard to do when we've been keeping up for so long. It would feel as if we have "incomplete" sets.

I almost wish Congress & the Mint would simply do away with all those non-circulating coins, like Canada did with their cents. Just make a "clean break" of it.

Are there other options out there anyone can suggest? If not, would you recommend still trying to acquire the missing coins each year to stay current, or give up the hunt?

By the way, am I missing something? I was thinking about creating a "poll" for the above, but don't see the option of creating one anymore. Did that functionality disappear since I was last active on the Foum?

privatecoin

Buy online from a dealer or do a WTB add in the BST.

bronco2078

I bought a huge lot of NCIF halves on ebay what do you need?

Overdate

@DBSTrader2 said:
By the way, am I missing something? I was thinking about creating a "poll" for the above, but don't see the option of creating one anymore. Did that functionality disappear since I was last active on the Foum?

On my browser, there's a dropdown menu towards the upper right that says "New Discussion". Click the down arrow on the right side and a "New Poll" selection appears.

DBSTrader2

Overdate: Thanks! I remember (or at least THINK I do) that option appearing along with each post I created in the past, and was looking around for it there. Good to know it's still an option!

JWP

You can order a complete Philadelphia and Denver uncircular set from the mint and that way you get the dollar you get the JFK's and this year you'll get all five of the quarters from both mints. It may cost a little bit more but it may be easier and kind of like a one-stop-shop. If you don't want to go to the mint you can always buy one from eBay and maybe pay more that way. If you go to the mint you can get the uncirculated sets for the P/D's each year with the enrollment program and not have to worry about missing the buy date that you can order them. Good luck with finding the coins you need.