Circulation Speculation

Onastone

As I was searching through a box of Kennedy halves, it occurred to me that these coins look like they've been through the ringer. Beat up, dirty, marked, damaged, and worn.....in short, circulated. But how? Fifty cent pieces are not common in change, they aren't readily available at every bank unless it's a special order, register tills don't carry them as regular fare, they seem to be as scarce as two dollar bills yet they are as worn out as our quarters and cents. Wouldn't you think that most of them would be in better condition?? Are coin roll searchers wearing out these coins? Were they ever more popular in our change?

gumby1234

Slot machines

MasonG

@gumby1234 said:
Slot machines

From here:

https://www.casino.org/vitalvegas/heres-the-last-casino-with-coin-slot-machines-on-the-las-vegas-strip/

Here’s the Last Casino With Coin Slot Machines on the Las Vegas Strip
Scott Roeben November 11 2021

Coin slots have become as rare as diving boards in Las Vegas. In fact, there’s only one casino in the Las Vegas Strip that still takes coins. Just the one. The last hold-out for coin-operated slot machines on the Las Vegas Strip? Wait for it. Circus Circus.

Onastone

Good answer.

Oldhoopster

Coin roll hunters and dumping back into bank counting machines

MasonG

@Oldhoopster said:
Coin roll hunters and dumping back into bank counting machines

And people wonder why banks don't want to provide an unending supply of coins, at no charge.

ricko

At one time, they did circulate quite well... so the older Kennedy halves would have a lot of circulation marks..... Of course, the WLH circulated widely for many years. Slot machines surely affected the later dates... until now. Cheers, RickO

Cougar1978

I sometimes get half dollar rolls go thru. Ones I don’t use for inventory will use for change at shows, coin show food, fast food drive thru. At one show I had a junk box of them at 60c each. They went fast lol.

cladking

Perhaps we need to coin another term for "circulation". Quarters pass from hand to hand in exchange for goods and services and do so on a very regular scale of a few times a month. In the old days an individual coin often got excessive wear whenever it got into the pocket of a workman but now days no one works and few carry coins in their pockets. So coins in active circulation wear very slowly. Couple all this with the fact that coins now wear like iron and it accounts for the reason nearly half of 1970 quarters are still around and can be found in as much as F condition.

We tend to perceive older coins as being nicer than they really are because mangled and worn specimens are always being removed and a lot of the coins circulating are very recent date which are often in great condition or even still Gem.

Half dollars are very different. While they did circulate lightly up until 1980 and were used in Vegas even into the '90's they rarely traded for goods or services. But they still are "active" in the sense they are legal tender and if there are any sitting idle somewhere (which is improbable) then we see only the ones that don't. These get moved around to new storage conditions or to be weighed or to be looked at by collectors or other interested parties. People have the coins in change jars for decades and then redeem them. Most every coin changes its location and conditions every few years.

Back in the late-'80's half dollars had less wear on them. There were lots of AU's (often AU-58) especially of the mid-70's era. but these are mostly gone now either worn more, in the hands of collectors, or in deep storage (if it exists).

There doesn't seem much doubt the coins are getting worn and the question is what's the mechanism. It's simply not in the least unusual to see half dollars as a topic at a bank. Usually it is someone asking for them or turning a few in for "real money". Most banks will be able to provide at least ten or twenty on request. There are still quite a few sitting idle and uncirculated and these will probably be the AU's you see in the future.

I agree that I'm surprised at the numbers of VF's in circulation. Vegas coins are all scratched up but a lot of these look almost like honest wear.

Someday people will surprised how few Uncs are left and soon after they'll be surprised to learn nice attractive Uncs were made in small numbers and the attrition on them has been almost as high as a circulating coin. Try finding an '80-D without scrapes, well struck and with attractive fields and a clean shield!!! I can't imagine how some of these coins are so unappreciated. Cu/ ni clad just rarely strikes up well and despite the hardness of the metal they still almost all get banged up or scraped before leaving the mint; especially in Denver in 1980.