Where has the Kennedy gone?

NoviceKris

This is my first question to the group, so if it is a stupid one, I am sorry. As the name implies,
I am a new victim of CCS (Coin Collecting Syndrome). Anyway, here's my question. Why were
no business strikes made of the 2002 Kennedy?

BTW, I have been learning a lot by reading your boards for the past months and want to say
thanks for all the free information. So far, I have been able to answer only one question
posted, my favorite beer and half $ and I not even sure I was qualified to do that.

Thanks

Kris

FC57Coins

Hi Kris:

Welcome to the boards.

The answer to your question is that Kennedys unfortunately don't circulate, so therefore, the mint is only satisfying collector demand. Otherwise they probably wouldn't have minted any this year. It's kinda sad, I got some rolls of halves last weekend and looked through them - out of 8 rolls I found 5 40% silver halves, but anyway, I decided to have some fun and I've been spending some of them for lunches or newspapers, etc. I've been asked twice by clerks if these were dollars! (I guess it never occurred to them to turn the coins over) Oh well - and so it goes.

Frank

FlyTooHigh

Hi Kris! Welcome to the forums. Have fun and learn a lot.

Tony

Clankeye

Kris--
Welcome to the boards. I will defer to the modern collectors on your question, but I did want to say nice to have you here.

keets

give the mint time, it's only september. they can probably crank out a few hundred million in a staggeringly short period of time if they decide to. the key word being DECIDE. i've inquired about this before and been told it isn't unusual.

al h.

DHeath

Kris,

I'm feel honored that your first post was to my beer/halves question. I can think of no better place to start.

Russ

I think it's been three years now since they minted any business strikes for general distribution. Only mint sets. From the beginning, the Kennedy half has never really been a circulating coin. Even the 1964, with a combined mintage of over 400 million, was hoarded and tucked away from day one.

Russ, NCNE

LanLord

Another issue with the Kennedys is that they usually aren't minted for "circulation" until December. Of course I don't even know why they make these as they never make it into circulation. Anyone ever get a 2001p Kennedy from anything but a mint set?

Russ

PS: Welcome aboard! Got proof JFKs?

Russ, NCNE

TheNumish

Welcome!!!!! I think the only place they use halves anymore is in the casinos. Back in the old days they used halves a lot. Look at how circulated the Walkers and Franklins got. I wonder why people stopped using them when the Kennedy's came out.

It is kind of strange that you can find 2001-D halves so easy and there aren't any 2001-P's. Where are all the 2001-P's?

cladking

Welcome. You're doing fine, everything takes time.
Usually the terms business strike and uncirculated are used interchangeably. So coins
in mint sets are business strikes. These tend to be a little different than other uncircu-
lated coins because they are struck under more pressure from new dies and other steps
are taken to assure quality strikes and finish. The mint has struck halfs for uncirculated
(mint) sets already this year. They have already stated that they intend to strike more
for general circulation later in the year. This has been the pattern for the last several
years; Coins are made for mint sets early in the year and then more are made at the end.
There is always the possibility that inventory or conditions will change and there will be no
further strikes. Many mint sets are disassembled this time of year by those who don't want
to wait to update their Kennedy sets.

LanLord

You see that, I displayed my poor manners.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Enjoy.

danglen

I was lucky enough to have a floor tour of the Denver Mint this past summer as part of the ANA Summer Camp. We saw a tremendous amount of 2001 Kennedy halves in their storage area. When asked why they were still at the Mint, the answer was there was not a lot of demand for the coins. The Mint basically produces coins on demand. There is a certain amount of guesswork as to what that demand will be, and sometimes they are a bit optimistic. When that happens, future years outputs can be affected.

izzy452

Welcome to the boards, have fun.

Walt

WWBillman

<< <i>Where has the Kennedy gone? >>



WHO CARES

Edited to say, Welcome to the boards and have fun.

beartracks42

Kris,
Welcome to the forum. You will probably see 2002 Kennedys on ebay later this year. Usually, some folks will get their hands on a few bags and then start selling rolls. Other than mint sets, it is the only way to get them.

Gary

NoviceKris

Thanks for the greetings and the info. I am getting ready for my first submissions for
grading soon. wish me luck.

Kris

jtryka

Welcome Kris! It's been my experience that it takes a while for Kennedys to make their way into circulation. Lately I've just started getting 2000 P and D from the bank, getting lots more 1999s now (they used to be as scarce as the 2000s are now), so my guess is that 2001s will start appearing next year, and 2002s later in 2004. Of course that's here in Portland, in Las Vegas where they are used a lot, you probably see them a lot sooner. If I remember correctly, the last year that Kennedys were not released into circulation was 1987, but I still find a few of those every once in a while.

cladking

OK. Good luck on the grading. Care to discuss or show what you're sending in?

RLinn

Welcome aboard, its always nice to have a new participant.

<< <i>not even sure I was qualified to do that. >>

The true mark of maturity is that the more you know, the more you know there's more you don't know. You'll fit in just fine.

Bear

RLinn So what you are sayin is the more I know the stupider I get. Well I must be
ahead of the game , because I am already stupid. But what you say is true.
It is the wise person who realizes
that there is a world filled with questions, and a lifetime is never enough to answer a fraction of them. You my
friend are among the very wise. Bear

goyankeez

Welcome. What do you collect?

As they say, there's no such thing as a stupid question.

Looking at what others have said, it makes sense. I never got a half dollar, or dollar (coin) for that matter, in change. I have a Kennedy with paint stains that I'm gonna use for the first time. I'm so excited, I don't know what to spend it on.

nwcs

I think half dollars are a better alternative to the dollar coin than a new dollar coin. The only reason why they lost in popularity was when vending machines got popular, the prices were pretty cheap. So people didn't use a half. But dollar coins have never been popular here.

Personally, I'd like to get halves back in circulation. I just deposited $90 worth after getting $100 worth a while ago. Got 2 40% silvers and 1 nice bicentennial one. Spent $8.50 and deposited the rest.

From what I understand, the reason for the dollar coin was that SBAs became popular in vending machines in California and the mint tried to impose it on the rest of us.

Neil

TheNumish

Yea Bear I agree with you.

My best friend is a Doctor and he told me this:
Before I went to med school I knew everything.
Then when I got into med school I realized there was a little bit more I could learn.
Then when I did my residency I realized there was a lot to learn.
Now that I'm a Doctor I realize I don't know squat.

I'm sure he didn't make it up but it is true.

Russ

Or, to put it another way: As I grow older, I realize that I know more and more about less and less. Thus I am certain that by the time I die, I will know everything about nothing.

Russ, NCNE

Bear

Russ - Some mornings, its enough for me to know who I am and where I am.
Anything more is found money as I see it. Bear

BlueCole

Where have the Kennedy's gone?

Simple, Russ has them.

B.

joejoe2000

I heard Stores won't use them because they don't have space for them in the cash register drawers.
Wallmart did well giving out Dollars. I would think giving out halves might be a nice cheep promotion.

Joe

coinnerd

To get halves (and dollar coins) circulating the vending industry will have to change vending machines to accept them. Halves circulate in Vegas because you can use them in slots. No one wants to carry change they can't use
If the vending industry would change machines to accept dollar and half dollar coins. Change the bill slots to accept $5 and $10 then give the coins in change people would reuse them in the vending machines and be willing to take them as change from clerks. The US Postoffice is a good example where this is working.