The sad state of Kennedys in circulation

FC57Coins

I recently got $80 worth of half dollars from the bank (that's all they had on hand) to see if I could find some silver. In my first try I found 5 40% halves so I figured what the heck. Well, nothing doing in this group, not a single one! That's ok I thought, rather than take the coins back to the bank, I thought I'd start paying for stuff with them. And this has been result so far:

1. My daughter needed $12 to pay for the PSAT tests. As a dilligent father I reached into my trusty drawer-o-halves and handed her 24 Kennedy halves. Her response? Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!

2. I went to get some geegaws and gimcracks at Walmart - the total cost was $9.50. I took one half out of a roll and proudly handed the rest of the coins to the dumbfounded cashier. Her response? I don't think we can take these!!! and promptly proceeded to get one of the managers who told her that the coins were "REAL" money.

3. I went to McDonalds at lunch and paid for my meal with $4.50 in halves. The cashier's response: Are these dollars?

I thought the whole thing was saddly funny - maybe you guys have had similar experiences?

Regards,

Frank

Rampage

Well, similar yes, but only with IKEs. I also like to buy IKEs from the banks. Take anything good out and then spend the rest. About a year ago, I bought two rolls of IKEs. Found nothing good, so I started spending them. I had the same experience you had at Wal-mart at a Wal-mart here in town, and also at a K-mart. I went to visit family about two hours from where I live and went to the bank there. I asked the lady if she had any Eisenhower dollars. She look at me like I was a dum and said "what is that??". I looked surprised and told her, don't you know who Eisenhower is? Her reply was NO, and still did not know about the dollar coins. Oh well. Richard.

Trime

I too have thought about the fate of all coins larger than a quarter. I rarely see a Kennedy or $ coin in circulation. Where are they all? Why don't they circulate? Who objects to them? It can't be the design since most people don't care about the objects on the meal in their pocket. In fact the figures on the Kennedy half and Sac $ are attractive. I am tired of 20 quarters in my pocket.
Maybe this is a reflection of our plastic world.

nwcs

Yeah, I had those looks when I got $100 of halves from the bank. And most of the kennedys were horribly struck, too! Ugh, really bad. I remember spending a SBA once and the cashier asked her manager if she could accept it. The manager rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, it's a dollar coin." It's really kind of funny as long as you're not in a hurry!

Neil

gmarguli

3. I went to McDonalds at lunch and paid for my meal with $4.50 in halves. The cashier's response: Are these dollars?

And was your response, "Why yes they are. Could I get a $5 bill for my change?"

Half the people in this country couldn't find Canada on a map. Why should we expect them to be able to read the back of a coin to see what denomination it is?

Bear

Greg - I thought the United States was a provence of Canada?

leo

Really, doesn't the whole issue surround the usage in vending machines? Seriously, if I get a half or dollar coin, I keep it to show the kids (mine and nieces and nephews) so they're not so ignorant. But I don't like them as a consumer because no vender will allow them in his/her machines..... my 2 cents worth.

goyankeez

If people are having trouble with Kennedys, what about those seldom-seen $2 bill?

I think I have a few of them stashed away.

presleyh

Same thing on a bunch i had and i still spend about 50 a week. At the gas station in the mornings i get 40.00 worth of gas and pay about half of it in kennedys. The people in line behind my clammer to get them from the cashier. Its kind of funny, they think they are worth more than fifty cents.

zenny

first off-

Frank, your daughter calls you "moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom?" (just kidding!)

well, i'm a prospector too and yesterday got two rolls of JFK's at the bank.

24 were 40% and i got one butt ugly '64. it's all just timing.

sometimes i go 0 for three rolls, sometimes it's jackpot.

(i've also located the best branch for finds, why this is the best branch i'll never know, it just is.)

most of the establishments i download the excess to have become used to the odd coinage. i am a big coin fan and proud. (i still want to see Braddick's "lightbulb head" Ike, maybe he'll bring it down to the Long Beach show? hint, hint)

i like sacs and will abide sbas and of course love JFK's, which are pretty much the last bastion of "finds" for the hobby. i just saw three rolls of 40% Kennedy's up on ebay and they were at 42 bucks and counting plus a somewhat large shipping fee. makes gettin em for free a little kick.

nwcs

I also found that JFKs make perfect tips for servers at medium end and lower restaurants. A stack of 4 or 5 works out quite nicely.

1956Quarter

Yeah, about a year ago the woman and I went to a movie. I pulled out a Sackie to help pay for the popcorn and sodas, and the girl behind the counter looked at me like I had a PeePee growing out of my forehead. I had to explain to her that they were the new US dollar coin. The shame of it all is that I bet that buck they could name the crap out of some PowerPuff Girls medalion or some other piece of garbage.

gmarguli

In defense of the soda girl, a PowerPuff Girls medallion probably has a more attractive design.

baccaruda

$2 bills...

Pushkin

I've had the most problems trying to pay for merchandise with $2 bills and SBAs/Scas. I've had checkout clerks call their security people thinking I was trying to pass counterfeit currency with the $2 bills, and even cases where the store wouldn't accept them. The dollar coins almost always produce a frown or some other less than pleasant comment. Some retailers tell me that they don't have drawers for them in their cash registers and that is a big problem for them - not to mention ignorant workers. One restaurant I know keeps one $2 bill in their cash drawer so that it can be used as evidence against robbers (catch a suspect with a $2 bill and catch the thief!). I used to buy them at the bank and spend them a lot, just for fun - no more, it has become too much of a hassle.

I travel to Canada a lot and the situation there is completely different - there are $1 (loonie) and $2 (toonie) coins everywhere, and they are well received (its been said over and over, if the US would get rid of the $1 bill, dollar coins would flourish).

BlueCole

LOL, baccaruda.

It makes me think of the times my grandparents would give me $2 bills for christmas, and i'd run out and spend them. Sure do wish i had them today. So what i've decided to do is when i give my kids or step kids (or grand kids, in the far future) a $2 bill, i'll make sure i have a five, and i'll ask them, "i'll buy that 2 bill from you for five bucks" then i'll save them and when they mention they regret selling them to me, i'll pull them out and show them.

B.

jtryka

I have some theories on why Kennedys don't circulate. First, let me say I do my part, and try to spend a few rolls a month, but I never pay exclusively with Kennedys, but just the coin part (i.e. if my bill is $5.50, I give them a $5 and a Kennedy). I don't have the stomach to sit there and explain to them the value of a roll of halves. I think the vending machine issue is part of the problem, but I think the bigger problem is the black hole at the end of the cash register drawer. When I go to my local supermarket, invariably the cashier has a number of halves in the drawer, but they are trapped at the end with a few sacs, a couple Canadian nickels and a few rubber bands. No matter how many I spend there, they never make it back out of the cash drawer, and are stuck in monetary purgatory. If they were ever given back out as change, they might actually circulate. I have always thought, if I ever own a retail business, I would stock the cash drawer with halves and they would be given out as change everytime there was a need for 50 cents or more in coin. Apparently no one else thinks that way!

airplanenut

<< <i>Half the people in this country couldn't find Canada on a map. Why should we expect them to be able to read the back of a coin to see what denomination it is? >>



Half/whole? What difference does it make?

presleyh

airplanenut, you need to know where canada is so end up there by accident. They dont like REAL Americans.

ursabear

I constantly pay tips and other small purchases with Kennedys and Sacagaweas. They're an interesting way to see what Joe and Jane America think of our coinage.

Surprisingly, it is usally the bank tellers that don't like them...

JD

I guess they haven't been to Vegas...

Why the gov't continues to make a coin that serves no purpose other than to slots and collectors is beyond me. It would be much better accepted and used for circulation if they halved the size and weight.

Same argument wouldn't have worked for Ikes...they need to remove the $1 bill before a $1 coin will ever catch on.

Kennedy's are very popular in Japan. Even a circulated clad can fetch $5, the silver 64's in any condition start at $9. Ask for the name of any previous American president and he's the guy most will name.

jtryka

I'll have to remember that if I ever go to Japan, one $10 roll = $100 in tips!

Geoman

I have had pretty good luck finding silver lately in Kennedy rolls. I usually ask at my local bank if they have any half dollar rolls, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. A few weeks ago they said they had 112 rolls in. Wow! So I bought 4 rolls to bring home and search. I found a 40% silver in each roll. So I turned those back in at another bank, went and got another 4 rolls, and found 1 40% silver, and 2 Franklins!! Unbelievable!!! So thinking that some older person may have turned in their hoard they have been saving, and also thinking that all those rolls could contain silver Kennedy's or Franklin's, I went back to buy a bunch of rolls, later in the week, but they said they were all out. Someone had come in and bought all the remaininr rolls. Who knows what I could have found. 5 40% silver Kenneyd's and 2 Franklin's from 8 rolls wasn't bad at all.

Last comment, I have had similar experiences using half dollars, but my experiences have been with bank tellers!!! On numerous visits, I have turned in Kennedy's, and they have counted it roll. Usually they count them as quarter dollars. Just this week I turned on 12 Kennedy's to buy several $2 bills they got in, and they gave me $3 dollars back, instead of $6. I would think BANK TELLERS of all people would get it right.

-Geoman