Do you one better, I found an 1833 Dime, last 3 high in pocket change that is probably in an AU holder somewhere now. Started this whole thing with coins.........twas so long ago
I was born 2 years after the last 90% silver coins were minted. I rarely saw them in change----maybe a silver Roosevelt or two. My Dad had a large plastic bank that was shaped like a giant liquor bottle. He had it filled with silver coins that he pulled from circulation around the time I was born or a few years before.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
<< <i>I wonder if silver dollars were a common occurrence? >>
No. Nobody wanted silver dollars. You could get all you wanted at the bank. If you got one, it was most likely because someone went to the bank to get a present for you.
OTOH, unlike now, half dollars were real circulating coins.
Sure - saved them until someone came around June 1964 selling fireworks out of the trunk of their car - cashed them all in for a few M80's.
"My friends who see my collection sometimes ask what something costs. I tell them and they are in awe at my stupidity." (Baccaruda, 12/03).I find it hard to believe that he (Trump) rushed to some hotel to meet girls of loose morals, although ours are undoubtedly the best in the world. (Putin 1/17) Gone but not forgotten. IGWT, Speedy, Bear, BigE, HokieFore, John Burns, Russ, TahoeDale, Dahlonega, Astrorat, Stewart Blay, Oldhoopster, Broadstruck, Ricko, Big Moose, Cardinal.
<< <i>I used to get a Walking Liberty half dollar for my allowance "IF" I did all my chores around the house, my homework, and didn't get in trouble. Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickel's, wheat cents, Franklin's and every now and then a Standing Liberty quarter in change. I had a piggy bank full of Morgan's & Peace dollars. You get the picture. I'm old, I was born in 1951, I'm starting to rust. >>
+1
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I collected my set that is complete with the exception of the 1916D and the 42/41 from circulation many years ago. All are circulated grades and some day I might complete the circulated set, or collect the proofs.
Not a fan of Roosies at all. Mercury dimes are a great series!
<< I wonder if silver dollars were a common occurrence? >>. When I was in grade school fire prevention posters were a big deal and the prizes were silver dollars.
Saw lots of 'em. Enough to fill a Whitman with circ examples as a kid, save for the rare ones, of course. Plenty of SLH quarters, too, including a 26-S and 27-S (somebody'd carved an "X" on it), that I still have, buff nickels and Lincoln wheats. You could even still find a liberty nickel or two.
It was fun to search through parents' and grandparents' change and fill the slots from circulation. My step-grandfather was a bus driver, and would come home with a treasure trove of change.
<< <i>I wonder if silver dollars were a common occurrence? >>
No. Nobody wanted silver dollars. You could get all you wanted at the bank. If you got one, it was most likely because someone went to the bank to get a present for you.
OTOH, unlike now, half dollars were real circulating coins. >>
Good point. A few self-appointed numismatic experts keep saying that half dollars were not in widespread circulation before 1964, but they were. If you got a dollar bill from Grandma and bought a dime candy bar down at the corner store, it was nothing special to get a half dollar in change.
If I got a roll of halves at my parent's bank to go through it was not unusual to see low grade coins from the late teens and the 20's.
The tellers knew me and would save silver dollars that came in over the counter, maybe one or two a month in 1963-65 until people started hoarding silver. Typically well-circulated Morgans and XF-AU Peace.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
<<A few self-appointed numismatic experts keep saying that half dollars were not in widespread circulation before 1964, but they were. If you got a dollar bill from Grandma and bought a dime candy bar down at the corner store, it was nothing special to get a half dollar in change.>>
Gee, I wish you hadn't called me a"self-appointed expert". I was a cashier 1952-1957 and a EYE-WITNESS. Half dollars certainly circulated, but it was partly an illusion. My super market got many rolls of quarters from the bank and never a roll of halves. I suspect other stores did the same. Mintages of halves were smaller than quarters. My cash drawer would have a few halves received from customers. One thing I learned was to never offer a half to a lady. They were apt to have a change holder with no room for a half. It was nothing special to get a half in change, but two quarters were more likely. Banks were certainly loaded with them and gave them out as change regularly.
Sure one in particular was a 1916 dime worn to about PO 1. I was about 10 and I convinced myself it was a '16-D and cut the insert out of my Whitman folder. I still have it just case 😝
Hello Folks---Will be 69 in Nov. Memories like this remind me how the decades have gone on by. I started to collect in 1955 and by the 7th grade, I had charge of the milk and juice at my school----and ALL the candy sales. Our dress code was blue pants and blue tie with a white shirt. Like "tibor" I had an allowance---mine was 6 bucks a week. Used to keep my money in one pocket---school's money in another---and what I had traded for during the day in my back pocket.
Used to save ALL silver coins from 1940 and before. Had everything in change back then---even a few Barber halves. Managed to have two sets of Walkers. Had all but 9 of them in my best set. And, all but 11 in my second set. Agree with CaptHenway---the halves were definitely around back then. Maybe not to the degree that a Merc or Wash quarter---but halves---including Walkers---were in change ALL THE TIME. You could get SLQ---many had no dates naturally---loads of Buff nickels---even Morgans and Peace showed up on occasion.
Even the sisters knew that I collected coins. My 7th grade nun---sister Rita Clare---one day I had more money to take home than I had brought with me that day. I went to sister and informed her that she would be 50 cents SHORT that day. I showed her the Walker and told her that I would bring the additional 50 cents the next day. NO PROBLEM
It was a FUN and WONDERFUL time back then. My gramps tended bar on the weekends. And, I raided his front right pocket every day that he worked. I'd get a lot of coins. But, also, crumbled up Tums and tobacco crumbs from his Lucky Strike and Camel sigs----no filtered cigs back then. All silver coins of one kind or another were always there---including Mercs. Good luck in your collecting efforts. Bob [supertooth]
Interesting commentary on the circulation of half dollars and silver dollars so far.
My observations - I've never seen a Kennedy half below AU, regardless of metallic content, pocket pieces excluded.
I don't recall seeing many Franklin halves worn below VF. Walkers dated after 1938 worn below VF are unusual. Barber halves and early walkers are prevalent in AG/G.
I don't know if this is any testament to how widely halves circulated and when, or if pulling all of them out of circulation in 1965 is the reason, or if prosperity/inflation allowed people to hold on to half dollars after the middle of the last century.
My first "coin shop" was mom and dads pocket change. SLQ quarters were common and like buffalo nickels a LOT of dateless pieces actively circulated. I'm sure more desirable coins were "kid collected" away. I remember mom getting a 34 S walker that was probably AUish in Sears but for the most part general circulation coinage was older, dirtier and more worn than today. In NONE of my retained kid whitmans do I have a single RD wheat cent, in fact only a few RB. As silver coins ceased I bought a bank roll of 1964s and still have most. Only at that point did I realize this was a valuable metal...strange to see it used as money.
I'm in my mid-60s, so I can easily recall all manner of old coins in circulation - Mercury dimes, buffalo nickels, walkers, Morgan & Peace dollars, even the very occasional Barber coin and Indian cent. Now I'm happy when I find a wheat cent in my change and am ecstatic when I find a silver coin (got a 64 quarter this year!!!)
<< <i><<A few self-appointed numismatic experts keep saying that half dollars were not in widespread circulation before 1964, but they were. If you got a dollar bill from Grandma and bought a dime candy bar down at the corner store, it was nothing special to get a half dollar in change.>>
Gee, I wish you hadn't called me a"self-appointed expert". I was a cashier 1952-1957 and a EYE-WITNESS. Half dollars certainly circulated, but it was partly an illusion. My super market got many rolls of quarters from the bank and never a roll of halves. I suspect other stores did the same. Mintages of halves were smaller than quarters. My cash drawer would have a few halves received from customers. One thing I learned was to never offer a half to a lady. They were apt to have a change holder with no room for a half. It was nothing special to get a half in change, but two quarters were more likely. Banks were certainly loaded with them and gave them out as change regularly. >>
In 1959, I got 50¢ for mowing our lawn and my dad always paid me with a half dollar.
I don't understand why this disagreement about half dollars persists. There could be isolated areas where a half dollar was just as likely to be tendered in change as two quarters but logic, wear, observation, and mintages state categorically this was not the situation in the area that half dollars circulated on average. In the late-'40's/ early-'50's quarter production was averaging 50 to 60 million per year but half dollar production wasonly 10 to 20 million. If you were equally likely to get a half as two quarters then quarter productionb should be only about 40% higher. Also note that quarters of the era are frequently VG but half dollars tend to have a little less wear. This seems to coincide well with many of our memories that it wasn't in the least un- usual to get two or three quarters in change. Of course half dollars circulated widely and at the end of the day you probably handled some but you most likely handled 3 or 4 times as many quarters (in most areas).
Perhaps ProofArtWorksonCircs' observation that women were less than willing recipients of half dollars is related to their demise. Mintages were already in a downtrend, propor- tionately to quarters, but when the men went off to war it was women cashing the pay- checks and buying groceries. Perhaps they requested quarters once in a while. This would have a dramatic effect on the usage of the coin since clerks would just tend to offer quarters to everyone.
In the late-'60's half dollars began passing out of use pretty quickly but this was obvi- ously because vending machines didn't take half dollars so people were often request- ing quarters. By 1980 it became quite unusual to recieve a half dollar.
Half dollars circulated and anyone who's ever looked at a bag of 90% silver halfs can at- test to it. Kennedys circulated very lightly and only until about 1980. You can see this in a circ bag. Coins from '71 to '80 are VF to slider Uncs with most being a nice XF and lat- er dates are mostly AU's with many that were beaten up by slot machines.
Around this area I'd get a half dollar in change about a third of the time one was appro- priate before 1962. Vending machines might have played a role from the very beginning in the demise of the half since the machines gave change for a quarter but rejected halfs.
<< <i> Around this area I'd get a half dollar in change about a third of the time one was appro- priate before 1962. >>
I might add that I was a little more likely to spend a half dollar than two quarters. If this was very widespread then half dollar could have a higher velocity before being deposited in the bank and counted. Now days coins make a loop from the bank to the store, to the consumer, and back to the bank but in those days coins could trade back and forth numer- ous times before being deposited again and counted at the bank.
We slant our thinking by treating the dollar of today the same as the dollar of 1936. They are FAR different. The half dollar today is just extra change from your spending a $20 bill for some trivial thing but 75 years ago that half dollar bought plenty and you got change back from spending IT!
I started collecting around 1964, and remember sitting around with friends trying to fill the blue Whitman's.
I filled the Washington, all except for the 32-D, from change. For the Cents, it was all but the 09-S and VDB, and the 14-D, and the 22 plain. Even got the 31-S from change.
Jeffs was all from change.
Never attempted the 50 cent pieces, too much money.
I did have a paper route for years. It was 60 cents. The payment was always quarters or a dollar bill, sometimes 2 quarters and a dime. Men were far better tippers, so I always delivered later on collection day.
On a different note, since I collect old cars, and have parted out hundreds of cars from the 1960's, I can say I never have found a 50 cent piece in any of them. I have found 2 pistols, 3 shotguns, dope in 15% of the cars, lots and lots of change, with a significant amount being silver for cars that were wrecked or parked before the early 1970's. One of the tools I use to date when the car stopped running is the condition latest dated pennies in the car, I Even found 2 $100 bills, rolled tight (probably coke straws, and not soda pop), hidden in a car I paid $200 for.
Found lots of single silver dimes under carpet. It must have been coffee break money on the assembly line, and installing the carpet must have caused dimes to fall out.
Once you know a particular car, you know where the hidey places are, or the places where stuff goes that is not easy to get back, so it stays entombed in the car.
There are urban myths of gas tanks full of change, but I have never found money in a gas tank. I did find over $20 in change in the driver's door of a car that had a speaker hole in the door panel.
Latest was helping a widow coworker of my wife dispose of her husband's car. I went to clean it, and there was change everywhere. I pulled over $60 in change out of that car before it was sold.
<< <i>I started collecting around 1964, and remember sitting around with friends trying to fill the blue Whitman's.
I filled the Washington, all except for the 32-D, from change. For the Cents, it was all but the 09-S and VDB, and the 14-D, and the 22 plain. Even got the 31-S from change.
Jeffs was all from change.
Never attempted the 50 cent pieces, too much money.
I did have a paper route for years. It was 60 cents. The payment was always quarters or a dollar bill, sometimes 2 quarters and a dime. Men were far better tippers, so I always delivered later on collection day.
On a different note, since I collect old cars, and have parted out hundreds of cars from the 1960's, I can say I never have found a 50 cent piece in any of them. I have found 2 pistols, 3 shotguns, dope in 15% of the cars, lots and lots of change, with a significant amount being silver for cars that were wrecked or parked before the early 1970's. One of the tools I use to date when the car stopped running is the condition latest dated pennies in the car, I Even found 2 $100 bills, rolled tight (probably coke straws, and not soda pop), hidden in a car I paid $200 for.
Found lots of single silver dimes under carpet. It must have been coffee break money on the assembly line, and installing the carpet must have caused dimes to fall out.
Once you know a particular car, you know where the hidey places are, or the places where stuff goes that is not easy to get back, so it stays entombed in the car.
There are urban myths of gas tanks full of change, but I have never found money in a gas tank. I did find over $20 in change in the driver's door of a car that had a speaker hole in the door panel.
Latest was helping a widow coworker of my wife dispose of her husband's car. I went to clean it, and there was change everywhere. I pulled over $60 in change out of that car before it was sold. >>
A buddy of mine had his 2 year old niece stay with him on his boat for a few days and she very diligently emptied out his large change jar into every little slot she could find. He never did get most of it back.
He did put my $10 Barbados Neptune coin under the mast though.
Today we routinely spend 50 year old coins without a second thought. Now we sit here Amazed we let those 30-50 year old coins we seen (and routinely spent) during the early sixties ever get away
They were very common up to the mid-1960's in Southern California at least. As were Walking Liberty halfs. It also was not that uncommon to get Indian head pennies Buffalo nickels, and Standing Liberty quarters back in change. It was a great time to be a kid and a coin collector.
I don't think anyone is saying half dollars were equally likely as quarters. Just that it was no big deal to get a half in change because they circulated as real money. Nowadays the only halves in circulation I see are the ones I put there after I get a roll from the bank.
In regard to inferring anything about the circulation of halves from the conditions you see nowadays, I don't think that necessarily works. Too many low grade halves "participated" in the great melts.
I got $1 allowance in the fifties. It didn't allow me to save many half dollars. :-)
The last half dollar I've received in circulation through a purchase was in 1997. I went to a Dodgers game and bought a scorecard for $0.50. I paid with a dollar bill and was given a Kennedy Half in change. The guy selling the scorecards had a lot of half dollars as it made giving change easier than 2 quarters.
Back around 2000 I would go to the bank and get rolls of halves and pull out the 40% Kennedy Halves. Never saw anything earlier than a 1965 Kennedy. No 1964s, No Frnaklins, etc. About a year ago I went to the credit union for some halves and was told that they didn't have a half dollar anywhere in the building.
<< <i>Today we routinely spend 50 year old coins without a second thought. Now we sit here Amazed we let those 30-50 year old coins we seen (and routinely spent) during the early sixties ever get away >>
True that!
Hard to think of a 65 Washie as a 50-year old coin, must be getting old! :-)
<< <i>I don't think anyone is saying half dollars were equally likely as quarters. Just that it was no big deal to get a half in change because they circulated as real money. Nowadays the only halves in circulation I see are the ones I put there after I get a roll from the bank.
In regard to inferring anything about the circulation of halves from the conditions you see nowadays, I don't think that necessarily works. Too many low grade halves "participated" in the great melts.
I got $1 allowance in the fifties. It didn't allow me to save many half dollars. :-) >>
This. Halves were never as common as quarters, but before the Kennedy half changed things halves were not rare, not even scarce.
Working in coin shops for 25 years I ran a lot of junk silver through the coin counters. Saw a lot of VG Walking halves from the 40's, and a lot of 1948 & 49 halves in Fine.
Around 1960 our washing machine broke and Dad couldn't afford to get a new one, so Ma went to the laundromat. My youngest brother was born in 1959, so she had to. I went along to watch him while Ma did the wash. Washer was a quarter, dryer was a dime. They had a change machine that would give you five dimes for a half dollar, which was better than the other change machine that gave you two dimes and a nickel for a quarter. Ma couldn't use the nickels in any of the machines, so five dimes was better than four.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
I have experience also with Canadian halves and Newfoundland halves. I got about 17 different date Newfoundland halves including some Queen Victoria from circulation in Maine and New Brunswick. Although I found many Newfoundland halves which were last minted in 1919, I never found a Canadian half before a date of 1937. Halves in Canada were less common than in the USA. Often you could not get a roll at a bank. Now they are for collectors only like the USA. They were mini-sized in 1968.
One thing that I noticed that we really have NOT mentioned is how we felt about our government removing the silver from our coins. I remember finding out that they were going to make "clad" half dollars---likely read it in "Coin World". Well, I was just plain MAD as I could get. I walked around and finally deceided that I wouldn't collect ANYTHING out of change anymore. After the 1970D half in the ONE mint set that I ordered, I NEVER collected another half for years and years. I could not bring myself to accept clad coinage----of any denomination.
I wonder how many other folks felt as I did? To this day in 2015, I have yet to collect clad coinage---except for the halves. I finally gave up----because I love half dollars---and have rooted through thousands of dollars worth of halves---just to get a representative coin from each mint and year.
But, I feel that the demise of the half is at least partly due to the lack of silver in the coin. Also, these days, the Mint is only making a couple of million each year----for mint sets and the selling of rolls and such. The making of PROFITS only. They make NONE for general release into circulation. Like everything else, they try to control what they want you to collect and buy.
Heck, I don't even have a book for collecting cents--or nickels--or dimes--or quarters these days. I have no interest. When I buy small collections, I take all the JUNK stuff----and take it to the banks at face value. Something has been different ever since the removal of silver from our coinage. I do get a "silver" proof set every year. Best in your collecting efforts. Bob [supertooth]
<< <i>But, I feel that the demise of the half is at least partly due to the lack of silver in the coin. Also, these days, the Mint is only making a couple of million each year----for mint sets and the selling of rolls and such. The making of PROFITS only. They make NONE for general release into circulation. Like everything else, they try to control what they want you to collect and buy. >>
But by that reasoning, wouldn't the lack of silver cause an equal demise of the dime and quarter? The half dollar fell out of circulation because (1) vending machines don't have a use for it and (2) it's bigger than people want to carry around. It has nothing to do with any lack of silver content.
I remember when silver coins were worth much more as money than as bullion. Their silver content had no magic for me. Finally, when silver was worth more and our coinage was going to disappear, removal of silver was a necessity and I fully supported that with just a trace of sadness.
As far as halves disappearing solely due to their large size or Kennedy's appearance on them, they disappeared in Canada without those two factors.
There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw. When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there.
<< <i>There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw. When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
In the US 40% silver half dollars were available in 1965 but many people (myself included) considered them debased junk that looked even more like real silver coins than the clads. This would have served to make the period between silver and a possible replacement even longer for many people. I didn't mind using the '71 clad half but by this time half dollar usage had de- creased well over 95% relative the introduction of the Kennedy half. It was too late to use the coin as circulating media.
1965 halves from the bank were a good buy. I had several rolls and took them to a coin show a very few years later and got double face. Later I realized my plastic tubes had 21 halves each.
I have a theory about the circulation of half dollars that I have expressed a few times before, so here it is again.
Prior to circa 1960 most people that worked received their pay in a pay envelope that was filled with paper bills and coins. Because of various taxes and deductions the odd change could be anything from one cent to 99 cents.
Large employers had a payroll department that had to calculate these amounts and fill the envelopes. In a factory with thousands of employees to be paid, it would save the payroll department a tiny bit of time on the envelopes that needed 50 to 99 cents by using a half dollar. These employers would have ordered half dollars from their banks, which would have ordered half dollars from the Fed, which would have ordered half dollars from the Mint. The employees receiving the halves would simply spend them into circulation.
Look at the high coinage of half dollars during the years the U.S. was involved in World Wars One and Two. Lots of people working lots of shifts, and they all had to be paid. After the wars factory work returned to normal and the extra coins struck during the wars helped fill the demand for halves, so minting fell.
FWIW, I grew up in the Detroit suburbs when the factories were booming. If my theory is correct then this may account for the relative commonality of half dollars in circulation in the Detroit area compared to life in smalltown America. Silver dollars circulated more in some regions than they did in others, so it is possible that half dollars circulated more in cities than they did in Smallville. However, they did circulate.
Not sure when factories phased out pay envelopes in favor of paychecks, which would have reduced the demand for half dollars. If anybody knows of any data on the shift from cash to paychecks I would love to see it.
TD
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
Like Dave, I was born in Seattle in 1956. I still have my Whitman album collection of Mercury dimes, all found in circulation in 1963-1964, that I pictured below. They came from a single neighborhood grocery store, where the manager would trade for face value. The manager was also a coin collector who would cherrypick the best. I also had a Whitman "Blue Book" which gave wholesale prices for coins, and by 1964 mercs in fine prior to 1934 all had wholesale numismatic value, thus they were disappearing rapidly from circulation. There were many, many people doing this in 1964, they were not so much collectors as they were opportunists who made an easy buck from pocket change. Some became serious collectors that we have on this board.
Robert Scot: Engraving Liberty - biography of US Mint's first chief engraver
<< <i>There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw. When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
But wouldn't that equally apply to dimes and quarters?
<<<< There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw. When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
But wouldn't that equally apply to dimes and quarters? >>
No, debased dimes and quarters were being made during the hiatus of half production, so we never ran out of them.
<< <i>Prior to circa 1960 most people that worked received their pay in a pay envelope that was filled with paper bills and coins. Because of various taxes and deductions the odd change could be anything from one cent to 99 cents. >>
In 1958 I was in high school and worked a summer job assembling boxes in a corn packing plant in a small town in the southeast. We received bills and coins in our weekly pay envelopes. As I recall, halves appeared in the envelopes along with other denominations, and they were considered to be "just another coin". No Morgan or peace dollars though - they did circulate at the time but were not common in everyday transactions.
<< <i><<<< There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw. When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
But wouldn't that equally apply to dimes and quarters? >>
No, debased dimes and quarters were being made during the hiatus of half production, so we never ran out of them. >>
I don't think there was a production hiatus in the U.S. Over 90 million Franklin halves were struck and released in 1963 followed by over 400 million Kennedy halves dated 1964. Over 800 million 40% silver halves were struck for circulation between 1965 and 1969. The reason halves disappeared from circulation is twofold. First, the 1964 Kennedy halves were widely hoarded both as mementos and for their silver content. (I put away 10 rolls that year that I was able to obtain from a bank.) Second, the 1965-69 issues were pulled from circulation because they still had some silver content and silver prices were rising. Many of them did circulate, though, and circulated specimens are traded by the bag today. In 1970 a limited number of halves were struck for mint and proof sets, but none were struck for circulation. In 1971 fully debased halves finally appeared, but by that time many people had gotten out of the habit of spending them and they never really caught on with the public again.
I began collecting in 1990 and got into serious collecting in 1991. I went through piles and piles of coins and never got one single silver clear into 1999.
In 1999 I was a cashier (now in my early 20's). One day I need more dimes for the register and opened a roll. In the middle of the roll was five silver edges. I was able to trade for four of the five coins in that roll: A 1916 Barber !!, a 1936 Merc, and a 1947 and 1950 (from what I remember) Roosevelt. The following year, in 2000 I got a 1964 D Washington. And then..........no more silver.......until 2013.
Very strangely, every year since 2013, I have pulled more than two silvers from circulation. Nickles, dimes, and a couple quarters. I even got a V nickel this past May. In the past two years I have found one IHC and piles of wheats.
Makes me wonder where these coins were when I started collecting in the early '90's, and how come the sudden influx of older coins recently ????
As a ten year old I stood in line with my Mother at the bank, so she could buy a Roll of Kennedy halves. People had a love affair with that guy and Yes hoarding was rampant on a pure grassroots level. No doubt by the $ilver melting years many BUs went to the furnace. I don't remember 64 halves circulating but the 40% coins stayed in circulation longer than the 90%
<<I don't think there was a production hiatus in the U.S.>> Probably an improper use of words on my part. There was certainly a hiatus in the flow from the banks. Until shortly after the 1964 Kennedy's came out I could get all the rolls of halves I wanted from the local bank. Then I couldn't get any. Quarters and dimes were always available.
Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
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Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
When I worked for my previous boss, I recall seeing a pile of 75 bags of Mercury Dimes in our vault. That's 750,000 pieces.
<< <i>I wonder if silver dollars were a common occurrence? >>
No. Nobody wanted silver dollars. You could get all you wanted at the bank. If you got one, it was most likely because someone went to the bank to get a present for you.
OTOH, unlike now, half dollars were real circulating coins.
http://www.shieldnickels.net
<< <i>I used to get a Walking Liberty half dollar for my allowance "IF" I did all my chores around the house, my homework, and didn't get in trouble. Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickel's, wheat cents, Franklin's and every now and then a Standing Liberty quarter in change. I had a piggy bank full of Morgan's & Peace dollars. You get the picture. I'm old, I was born in 1951, I'm starting to rust.
+1
Not a fan of Roosies at all. Mercury dimes are a great series!
OINK
For the Record: I was born in 1946
It was fun to search through parents' and grandparents' change and fill the slots from circulation. My step-grandfather was a bus driver, and would come home with a treasure trove of change.
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
<< <i>
<< <i>I wonder if silver dollars were a common occurrence? >>
No. Nobody wanted silver dollars. You could get all you wanted at the bank. If you got one, it was most likely because someone went to the bank to get a present for you.
OTOH, unlike now, half dollars were real circulating coins. >>
Good point. A few self-appointed numismatic experts keep saying that half dollars were not in widespread circulation before 1964, but they were. If you got a dollar bill from Grandma and bought a dime candy bar down at the corner store, it was nothing special to get a half dollar in change.
If I got a roll of halves at my parent's bank to go through it was not unusual to see low grade coins from the late teens and the 20's.
The tellers knew me and would save silver dollars that came in over the counter, maybe one or two a month in 1963-65 until people started hoarding silver. Typically well-circulated Morgans and XF-AU Peace.
Gee, I wish you hadn't called me a"self-appointed expert". I was a cashier 1952-1957 and a EYE-WITNESS. Half dollars certainly circulated, but it was partly an illusion.
My super market got many rolls of quarters from the bank and never a roll of halves. I suspect other stores did the same. Mintages of halves were smaller than quarters.
My cash drawer would have a few halves received from customers. One thing I learned was to never offer a half to a lady. They were apt to have a change holder with no room for a half.
It was nothing special to get a half in change, but two quarters were more likely. Banks were certainly loaded with them and gave them out as change regularly.
Used to save ALL silver coins from 1940 and before. Had everything in change back then---even a few Barber halves. Managed to have two sets of Walkers. Had all but 9 of them in my best set. And, all but 11 in my second set. Agree with CaptHenway---the halves were definitely around back then. Maybe not to the degree that a Merc or Wash quarter---but halves---including Walkers---were in change ALL THE TIME. You could get SLQ---many had no dates naturally---loads of Buff nickels---even Morgans and Peace showed up on occasion.
Even the sisters knew that I collected coins. My 7th grade nun---sister Rita Clare---one day I had more money to take home than I had brought with me that day. I went to sister and informed her that she would be 50 cents SHORT that day. I showed her the Walker and told her that I would bring the additional 50 cents the next day. NO PROBLEM
It was a FUN and WONDERFUL time back then. My gramps tended bar on the weekends. And, I raided his front right pocket every day that he worked. I'd get a lot of coins. But, also, crumbled up Tums and tobacco crumbs from his Lucky Strike and Camel sigs----no filtered cigs back then. All silver coins of one kind or another were always there---including Mercs. Good luck in your collecting efforts. Bob [supertooth]
My observations - I've never seen a Kennedy half below AU, regardless of metallic content, pocket pieces excluded.
I don't recall seeing many Franklin halves worn below VF. Walkers dated after 1938 worn below VF are unusual. Barber halves and
early walkers are prevalent in AG/G.
I don't know if this is any testament to how widely halves circulated and when, or if pulling all of them out of circulation in 1965 is
the reason, or if prosperity/inflation allowed people to hold on to half dollars after the middle of the last century.
Now I'm happy when I find a wheat cent in my change and am ecstatic when I find a silver coin (got a 64 quarter this year!!!)
<< <i><<A few self-appointed numismatic experts keep saying that half dollars were not in widespread circulation before 1964, but they were. If you got a dollar bill from Grandma and bought a dime candy bar down at the corner store, it was nothing special to get a half dollar in change.>>
Gee, I wish you hadn't called me a"self-appointed expert". I was a cashier 1952-1957 and a EYE-WITNESS. Half dollars certainly circulated, but it was partly an illusion.
My super market got many rolls of quarters from the bank and never a roll of halves. I suspect other stores did the same. Mintages of halves were smaller than quarters.
My cash drawer would have a few halves received from customers. One thing I learned was to never offer a half to a lady. They were apt to have a change holder with no room for a half.
It was nothing special to get a half in change, but two quarters were more likely. Banks were certainly loaded with them and gave them out as change regularly. >>
In 1959, I got 50¢ for mowing our lawn and my dad always paid me with a half dollar.
isolated areas where a half dollar was just as likely to be tendered in change as two
quarters but logic, wear, observation, and mintages state categorically this was not
the situation in the area that half dollars circulated on average. In the late-'40's/
early-'50's quarter production was averaging 50 to 60 million per year but half dollar
production wasonly 10 to 20 million. If you were equally likely to get a half as two
quarters then quarter productionb should be only about 40% higher. Also note that
quarters of the era are frequently VG but half dollars tend to have a little less wear.
This seems to coincide well with many of our memories that it wasn't in the least un-
usual to get two or three quarters in change. Of course half dollars circulated widely
and at the end of the day you probably handled some but you most likely handled 3
or 4 times as many quarters (in most areas).
Perhaps ProofArtWorksonCircs' observation that women were less than willing recipients
of half dollars is related to their demise. Mintages were already in a downtrend, propor-
tionately to quarters, but when the men went off to war it was women cashing the pay-
checks and buying groceries. Perhaps they requested quarters once in a while. This
would have a dramatic effect on the usage of the coin since clerks would just tend to
offer quarters to everyone.
In the late-'60's half dollars began passing out of use pretty quickly but this was obvi-
ously because vending machines didn't take half dollars so people were often request-
ing quarters. By 1980 it became quite unusual to recieve a half dollar.
Half dollars circulated and anyone who's ever looked at a bag of 90% silver halfs can at-
test to it. Kennedys circulated very lightly and only until about 1980. You can see this in
a circ bag. Coins from '71 to '80 are VF to slider Uncs with most being a nice XF and lat-
er dates are mostly AU's with many that were beaten up by slot machines.
Around this area I'd get a half dollar in change about a third of the time one was appro-
priate before 1962. Vending machines might have played a role from the very beginning
in the demise of the half since the machines gave change for a quarter but rejected halfs.
<< <i>
Around this area I'd get a half dollar in change about a third of the time one was appro-
priate before 1962. >>
I might add that I was a little more likely to spend a half dollar than two quarters. If this
was very widespread then half dollar could have a higher velocity before being deposited
in the bank and counted. Now days coins make a loop from the bank to the store, to the
consumer, and back to the bank but in those days coins could trade back and forth numer-
ous times before being deposited again and counted at the bank.
Funny how nothing's ever simple.
I filled the Washington, all except for the 32-D, from change. For the Cents, it was all but the 09-S and VDB, and the 14-D, and the 22 plain. Even got the 31-S from change.
Jeffs was all from change.
Never attempted the 50 cent pieces, too much money.
I did have a paper route for years. It was 60 cents. The payment was always quarters or a dollar bill, sometimes 2 quarters and a dime. Men were far better tippers, so I always delivered later on collection day.
On a different note, since I collect old cars, and have parted out hundreds of cars from the 1960's, I can say I never have found a 50 cent piece in any of them. I have found 2 pistols, 3 shotguns, dope in 15% of the cars, lots and lots of change, with a significant amount being silver for cars that were wrecked or parked before the early 1970's. One of the tools I use to date when the car stopped running is the condition latest dated pennies in the car, I Even found 2 $100 bills, rolled tight (probably coke straws, and not soda pop), hidden in a car I paid $200 for.
Found lots of single silver dimes under carpet. It must have been coffee break money on the assembly line, and installing the carpet must have caused dimes to fall out.
Once you know a particular car, you know where the hidey places are, or the places where stuff goes that is not easy to get back, so it stays entombed in the car.
There are urban myths of gas tanks full of change, but I have never found money in a gas tank. I did find over $20 in change in the driver's door of a car that had a speaker hole in the door panel.
Latest was helping a widow coworker of my wife dispose of her husband's car. I went to clean it, and there was change everywhere. I pulled over $60 in change out of that car before it was sold.
<< <i>I started collecting around 1964, and remember sitting around with friends trying to fill the blue Whitman's.
I filled the Washington, all except for the 32-D, from change. For the Cents, it was all but the 09-S and VDB, and the 14-D, and the 22 plain. Even got the 31-S from change.
Jeffs was all from change.
Never attempted the 50 cent pieces, too much money.
I did have a paper route for years. It was 60 cents. The payment was always quarters or a dollar bill, sometimes 2 quarters and a dime. Men were far better tippers, so I always delivered later on collection day.
On a different note, since I collect old cars, and have parted out hundreds of cars from the 1960's, I can say I never have found a 50 cent piece in any of them. I have found 2 pistols, 3 shotguns, dope in 15% of the cars, lots and lots of change, with a significant amount being silver for cars that were wrecked or parked before the early 1970's. One of the tools I use to date when the car stopped running is the condition latest dated pennies in the car, I Even found 2 $100 bills, rolled tight (probably coke straws, and not soda pop), hidden in a car I paid $200 for.
Found lots of single silver dimes under carpet. It must have been coffee break money on the assembly line, and installing the carpet must have caused dimes to fall out.
Once you know a particular car, you know where the hidey places are, or the places where stuff goes that is not easy to get back, so it stays entombed in the car.
There are urban myths of gas tanks full of change, but I have never found money in a gas tank. I did find over $20 in change in the driver's door of a car that had a speaker hole in the door panel.
Latest was helping a widow coworker of my wife dispose of her husband's car. I went to clean it, and there was change everywhere. I pulled over $60 in change out of that car before it was sold. >>
A buddy of mine had his 2 year old niece stay with him on his boat for a few days and
she very diligently emptied out his large change jar into every little slot she could find.
He never did get most of it back.
He did put my $10 Barbados Neptune coin under the mast though.
...
In regard to inferring anything about the circulation of halves from the conditions you see nowadays, I don't think that necessarily works. Too many low grade halves "participated" in the great melts.
I got $1 allowance in the fifties. It didn't allow me to save many half dollars. :-)
http://www.shieldnickels.net
Back around 2000 I would go to the bank and get rolls of halves and pull out the 40% Kennedy Halves. Never saw anything earlier than a 1965 Kennedy. No 1964s, No Frnaklins, etc. About a year ago I went to the credit union for some halves and was told that they didn't have a half dollar anywhere in the building.
<< <i>Today we routinely spend 50 year old coins without a second thought. Now we sit here Amazed we let those 30-50 year old coins we seen (and routinely spent) during the early sixties ever get away
True that!
Hard to think of a 65 Washie as a 50-year old coin, must be getting old! :-)
<< <i>I don't think anyone is saying half dollars were equally likely as quarters. Just that it was no big deal to get a half in change because they circulated as real money. Nowadays the only halves in circulation I see are the ones I put there after I get a roll from the bank.
In regard to inferring anything about the circulation of halves from the conditions you see nowadays, I don't think that necessarily works. Too many low grade halves "participated" in the great melts.
I got $1 allowance in the fifties. It didn't allow me to save many half dollars. :-) >>
This. Halves were never as common as quarters, but before the Kennedy half changed things halves were not rare, not even scarce.
Working in coin shops for 25 years I ran a lot of junk silver through the coin counters. Saw a lot of VG Walking halves from the 40's, and a lot of 1948 & 49 halves in Fine.
Around 1960 our washing machine broke and Dad couldn't afford to get a new one, so Ma went to the laundromat. My youngest brother was born in 1959, so she had to. I went along to watch him while Ma did the wash. Washer was a quarter, dryer was a dime. They had a change machine that would give you five dimes for a half dollar, which was better than the other change machine that gave you two dimes and a nickel for a quarter. Ma couldn't use the nickels in any of the machines, so five dimes was better than four.
One thing that I noticed that we really have NOT mentioned is how we felt about our government removing the silver from our coins. I remember finding out that they were going to make "clad" half dollars---likely read it in "Coin World". Well, I was just plain MAD as I could get. I walked around and finally deceided that I wouldn't collect ANYTHING out of change anymore. After the 1970D half in the ONE mint set that I ordered, I NEVER collected another half for years and years. I could not bring myself to accept clad coinage----of any denomination.
I wonder how many other folks felt as I did? To this day in 2015, I have yet to collect clad coinage---except for the halves. I finally gave up----because I love half dollars---and have rooted through thousands of dollars worth of halves---just to get a representative coin from each mint and year.
But, I feel that the demise of the half is at least partly due to the lack of silver in the coin. Also, these days, the Mint is only making a couple of million each year----for mint sets and the selling of rolls and such. The making of PROFITS only. They make NONE for general release into circulation. Like everything else, they try to control what they want you to collect and buy.
Heck, I don't even have a book for collecting cents--or nickels--or dimes--or quarters these days. I have no interest. When I buy small collections, I take all the JUNK stuff----and take it to the banks at face value. Something has been different ever since the removal of silver from our coinage. I do get a "silver" proof set every year. Best in your collecting efforts. Bob [supertooth]
<< <i>But, I feel that the demise of the half is at least partly due to the lack of silver in the coin. Also, these days, the Mint is only making a couple of million each year----for mint sets and the selling of rolls and such. The making of PROFITS only. They make NONE for general release into circulation. Like everything else, they try to control what they want you to collect and buy. >>
But by that reasoning, wouldn't the lack of silver cause an equal demise of the dime and quarter? The half dollar fell out of circulation because (1) vending machines don't have a use for it and (2) it's bigger than people want to carry around. It has nothing to do with any lack of silver content.
As far as halves disappearing solely due to their large size or Kennedy's appearance on them, they disappeared in Canada without those two factors.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw.
When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there.
<< <i>There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw.
When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
In the US 40% silver half dollars were available in 1965 but many people (myself included)
considered them debased junk that looked even more like real silver coins than the clads. This
would have served to make the period between silver and a possible replacement even longer
for many people. I didn't mind using the '71 clad half but by this time half dollar usage had de-
creased well over 95% relative the introduction of the Kennedy half. It was too late to use the
coin as circulating media.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Prior to circa 1960 most people that worked received their pay in a pay envelope that was filled with paper bills and coins. Because of various taxes and deductions the odd change could be anything from one cent to 99 cents.
Large employers had a payroll department that had to calculate these amounts and fill the envelopes. In a factory with thousands of employees to be paid, it would save the payroll department a tiny bit of time on the envelopes that needed 50 to 99 cents by using a half dollar. These employers would have ordered half dollars from their banks, which would have ordered half dollars from the Fed, which would have ordered half dollars from the Mint. The employees receiving the halves would simply spend them into circulation.
Look at the high coinage of half dollars during the years the U.S. was involved in World Wars One and Two. Lots of people working lots of shifts, and they all had to be paid. After the wars factory work returned to normal and the extra coins struck during the wars helped fill the demand for halves, so minting fell.
FWIW, I grew up in the Detroit suburbs when the factories were booming. If my theory is correct then this may account for the relative commonality of half dollars in circulation in the Detroit area compared to life in smalltown America. Silver dollars circulated more in some regions than they did in others, so it is possible that half dollars circulated more in cities than they did in Smallville. However, they did circulate.
Not sure when factories phased out pay envelopes in favor of paychecks, which would have reduced the demand for half dollars. If anybody knows of any data on the shift from cash to paychecks I would love to see it.
TD
Coins for Sale: Both Graded and Ungraded
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oqym2YtcS7ZAZ73D6
<< <i>There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw.
When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
But wouldn't that equally apply to dimes and quarters?
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw.
When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
But wouldn't that equally apply to dimes and quarters? >>
No, debased dimes and quarters were being made during the hiatus of half production, so we never ran out of them.
<< <i>Prior to circa 1960 most people that worked received their pay in a pay envelope that was filled with paper bills and coins. Because of various taxes and deductions the odd change could be anything from one cent to 99 cents. >>
In 1958 I was in high school and worked a summer job assembling boxes in a corn packing plant in a small town in the southeast. We received bills and coins in our weekly pay envelopes. As I recall, halves appeared in the envelopes along with other denominations, and they were considered to be "just another coin". No Morgan or peace dollars though - they did circulate at the time but were not common in everyday transactions.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
<< <i><<<< There have been various reasons given here for the disappearance of halves. I think most have merit.
Here is what I consider one of the major causes.
Halves disappeared for a time in both the United States and Canada mainly because of silver content . Folk especially bankers got out of the habit of using them and that was the final straw.
When halves were available again, the habit of using them was gone and it continued downhill from there. >>
But wouldn't that equally apply to dimes and quarters? >>
No, debased dimes and quarters were being made during the hiatus of half production, so we never ran out of them. >>
I don't think there was a production hiatus in the U.S. Over 90 million Franklin halves were struck and released in 1963 followed by over 400 million Kennedy halves dated 1964. Over 800 million 40% silver halves were struck for circulation between 1965 and 1969. The reason halves disappeared from circulation is twofold. First, the 1964 Kennedy halves were widely hoarded both as mementos and for their silver content. (I put away 10 rolls that year that I was able to obtain from a bank.) Second, the 1965-69 issues were pulled from circulation because they still had some silver content and silver prices were rising. Many of them did circulate, though, and circulated specimens are traded by the bag today. In 1970 a limited number of halves were struck for mint and proof sets, but none were struck for circulation. In 1971 fully debased halves finally appeared, but by that time many people had gotten out of the habit of spending them and they never really caught on with the public again.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
I began collecting in 1990 and got into serious collecting in 1991. I went through piles and piles of coins and never got one single silver clear into 1999.
In 1999 I was a cashier (now in my early 20's). One day I need more dimes for the register and opened a roll. In the middle of the roll was five silver edges. I was able to trade for four of the five coins in that roll: A 1916 Barber !!, a 1936 Merc, and a 1947 and 1950 (from what I remember) Roosevelt. The following year, in 2000 I got a 1964 D Washington. And then..........no more silver.......until 2013.
Very strangely, every year since 2013, I have pulled more than two silvers from circulation. Nickles, dimes, and a couple quarters. I even got a V nickel this past May. In the past two years I have found one IHC and piles of wheats.
Makes me wonder where these coins were when I started collecting in the early '90's, and how come the sudden influx of older coins recently ????
Probably an improper use of words on my part. There was certainly a hiatus in the flow from the banks. Until shortly after the 1964 Kennedy's came out I could get all the rolls of halves I wanted from the local bank. Then I couldn't get any. Quarters and dimes were always available.