The half dollar, sometimes referred to as the half for short or 50-cent piece, is a United States coin worth 50 cents, or one half of a dollar. It is the largest United States circulating coin currently produced[1] in both size and weight, being 1.205 inches (30.61 millimeters) in diameter and 0.085 in (2.16 mm) in thickness, and is twice the weight of the quarter. The coin's design has undergone a number of changes throughout its history. Since 1964, the half dollar depicts the profile of President John F. Kennedy on the obverse and the Seal of the President of the United States on the reverse.[2]
Though not commonly used today, half-dollar coins have a long history of heavy use alongside other denominations of coinage, but have faded out of general circulation for many reasons. They were produced in fairly large quantities until the year 2002, when the U.S. Mint ceased production of the coin for general circulation. As a result of its decreasing usage, many pre-2002 half dollars remain in Federal Reserve vaults, prompting the change in production. Presently, collector half dollars can be ordered directly from the U.S. Mint,[2] and pre-2002 circulation half dollars may be ordered through most American banks and credit unions. In 2021, half dollars began to be produced for general circulation again.[3]
Half-dollar coins once saw heavy use, particularly in the first half of the 20th century. For many years, they were (and in many areas still are) commonly used by gamblers at casinos and other venues with slot machines. Rolls of half dollars may still be kept on hand in cardrooms for games requiring 50-cent antes or bring-inbets, for dealers to pay winning naturals in blackjack, or where the house collects a rake in increments. Additionally, some concession vendors at sporting events distribute half-dollar coins as change for convenience.
By the early 1960s, the rising price of silver neared the point where the bullion value of U.S. silver coins would exceed face value. In 1965, the U.S. introduced layered-composition coins made of a pure copper core sandwiched between two cupronickel outer faces. The silver content of dimes and quarters was eliminated, but the Kennedy half-dollar composition contained silver (reduced from 90% to 40%) from 1965 to 1970. Even with its reduced silver content, the half dollar attracted widespread interest from speculators and collectors, and that interest led to widespread hoarding of half dollars dated 1970 and earlier. In 1971, the half's composition was changed to match that of the clad dimes and quarters, and with an increase in production, the coin saw a moderate increase in usage; by this time however, many businesses and the public had begun to lose interest in the half dollar and by the end of the 1970s, the coin had gradually become uncommon in circulation. Merchants stopped ordering half dollars from their banks, and many banks stopped ordering half dollars from the Federal Reserve, and the U.S. mints sharply reduced production of the coins.
Since 2002, half dollars have been minted only for collectors, due to large Federal Reserve and government inventories on hand of pre-2001 pieces; this is mostly due to lack of demand and large quantity returns from casino slot machines that now operate "coin-less". Eventually, when the reserve supply runs low, the mint will again fill orders for circulation half dollars.[4] It took about 18 years (1981–1999) for the large inventory stockpile of a similar low-demand circulation coin, the $1 coin, to reach reserve levels low enough to again produce circulation pieces.[citation needed] Modern-date half dollars can be purchased in proof sets, mint sets, rolls, and bags from the U.S. Mint, and existing inventory circulation pieces can be ordered through most U.S. banks and credit unions. All collector issues since 2001 have had much lower mintages than in previous years. Although intended only for collectors, these post-2001 half dollars often find their way into circulation, with examples occurring in change or as payment for small transactions.[5]
Aspects of early history
On December 1, 1794, the first half dollars, approximately 5,300 pieces, were delivered. Another 18,000 were produced in January 1795 using dies of 1794, to save the expense of making new ones.[6] Another 30,000 pieces were struck by the end of 1801. The coin had the Heraldic Eagle, based on the Great Seal of the United States on the reverse.[6] 150,000 were minted in 1804 but struck with dies from 1803, so no 1804 specimens exist, though there were some pieces dated 1805 that carried a "5 over 4" overdate.[6]
In 1838, half-dollar dies were produced in the Philadelphia Mint for the newly established New Orleans Mint, and ten test samples of the 1838 half dollars were made at the main Philadelphia mint. These samples were put into the mint safe along with other rarities like the 1804 silver dollar. The dies were then shipped to New Orleans for the regular production of 1838 half dollars. However, New Orleans production of the half dollars was delayed due to the priority of producing half dimes and dimes. The large press for half-dollar production was not used in New Orleans until January 1839 to produce 1838 half dollars, but the reverse die could not be properly secured, and only ten samples were produced before the dies failed. Rufus Tyler, chief coiner of the New Orleans mint, wrote to Mint Director Patterson of the problem on February 25, 1839.[7] The Orleans mint samples all had a double stamped reverse as a result of this production problem and they also showed dramatic signs of die rust, neither of which are present on the Philadelphia produced test samples. While eight Philadelphia minted samples survive to this day, there is only one known New Orleans minted specimen with the tell-tale double stamped reverse and die rust. This is the famous coin that Rufus Tyler presented to Alexander Dallas Bache (great grandson of Benjamin Franklin) in the summer of 1839 and was later purchased in June 1894 by A. G. Heaton, the father of mint mark coin collecting.[8] The 1838 Philadelphia-produced half dollars are extremely rare, with two separate specimens having sold for $632,500 in Heritage auctions in 2005 and 2008[9] respectively. The sole surviving Orleans minted 1838 is one of the rarest of all American coins.[10][11] In 1840, this mint produced nearly 180,000 half dollars.[6]
In 1861, the New Orleans mint produced coins for three different governments. A total of 330,000 were struck under the United States government, 1,240,000 for the State of Louisiana after it seceded from the Union, and 962,633 after it joined the Confederacy. Since the same die was used for all strikings, the output looks identical. However the Confederate States of America actually minted four half dollars with a CSA (rather than USA) reverse and the obverse die they used had a small die crack. Thus "regular" 1861 half dollars with this crack probably were used by the Confederates for some of the mass striking.[12]
There are two varieties of Kennedy half dollars in the proof set issues of 1964. Initially, the die was used with accented hair, showing deeper lines than the president's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, preferred. New dies were prepared to smooth out some of the details. It is estimated that about 1 to 3% (40,000 to 100,000) of the proof halves are of the earlier type, making them somewhat more expensive for collectors.[13]
Kennedy 1964 (General circulation issue)[24] (the last 90% silver half dollar for circulation, contains 0.36169 oz. net silver per coin, or 7.234 oz. silver per roll)
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
^. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). "1794–95 Half Dollar Flowing Hair". CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). . CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). . CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). . CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). . CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). . CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). . CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-04-04. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). "1892–1915 Half Dollar Barber". CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). "1916–47 Half Dollar Walking Liberty". CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). "1948–63 Half Dollar Franklin". CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
^NGC Photo Proof (1994). "1964 – Half Dollar Kennedy". CoinSite. ROKO Design Group, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
February 20, 2023
half, dollar, united, states, coin, half, dollar, sometimes, referred, half, short, cent, piece, united, states, coin, worth, cents, half, dollar, largest, united, states, circulating, coin, currently, produced, both, size, weight, being, inches, millimeters, . The half dollar sometimes referred to as the half for short or 50 cent piece is a United States coin worth 50 cents or one half of a dollar It is the largest United States circulating coin currently produced 1 in both size and weight being 1 205 inches 30 61 millimeters in diameter and 0 085 in 2 16 mm in thickness and is twice the weight of the quarter The coin s design has undergone a number of changes throughout its history Since 1964 the half dollar depicts the profile of President John F Kennedy on the obverse and the Seal of the President of the United States on the reverse 2 Half dollarUnited StatesValue0 50 U S dollarMass11 340 g 0 365 troy oz Diameter30 61 mm 1 205 in Thickness2 15 mm 0 085 in Edge150 reedsComposition1964 90 Ag 10 Cu 1965 1970 60 Cu 40 Ag 1971 Present 91 67 Cu 8 33 NiYears of minting1794 1797 1801 1803 1805 1815 1817 1921 1923 1927 1929 1933 presentCatalog number ObverseDesignJohn F KennedyDesignerGilroy RobertsDesign date1964ReverseDesignPresidential SealDesignerFrank GasparroDesign date1964Though not commonly used today half dollar coins have a long history of heavy use alongside other denominations of coinage but have faded out of general circulation for many reasons They were produced in fairly large quantities until the year 2002 when the U S Mint ceased production of the coin for general circulation As a result of its decreasing usage many pre 2002 half dollars remain in Federal Reserve vaults prompting the change in production Presently collector half dollars can be ordered directly from the U S Mint 2 and pre 2002 circulation half dollars may be ordered through most American banks and credit unions In 2021 half dollars began to be produced for general circulation again 3 Contents 1 Circulation 2 Aspects of early history 3 List of designs 4 List of early commemorative issues 5 See also 6 ReferencesCirculation EditHalf dollar coins once saw heavy use particularly in the first half of the 20th century For many years they were and in many areas still are commonly used by gamblers at casinos and other venues with slot machines Rolls of half dollars may still be kept on hand in cardrooms for games requiring 50 cent antes or bring in bets for dealers to pay winning naturals in blackjack or where the house collects a rake in increments Additionally some concession vendors at sporting events distribute half dollar coins as change for convenience By the early 1960s the rising price of silver neared the point where the bullion value of U S silver coins would exceed face value In 1965 the U S introduced layered composition coins made of a pure copper core sandwiched between two cupronickel outer faces The silver content of dimes and quarters was eliminated but the Kennedy half dollar composition contained silver reduced from 90 to 40 from 1965 to 1970 Even with its reduced silver content the half dollar attracted widespread interest from speculators and collectors and that interest led to widespread hoarding of half dollars dated 1970 and earlier In 1971 the half s composition was changed to match that of the clad dimes and quarters and with an increase in production the coin saw a moderate increase in usage by this time however many businesses and the public had begun to lose interest in the half dollar and by the end of the 1970s the coin had gradually become uncommon in circulation Merchants stopped ordering half dollars from their banks and many banks stopped ordering half dollars from the Federal Reserve and the U S mints sharply reduced production of the coins Since 2002 half dollars have been minted only for collectors due to large Federal Reserve and government inventories on hand of pre 2001 pieces this is mostly due to lack of demand and large quantity returns from casino slot machines that now operate coin less Eventually when the reserve supply runs low the mint will again fill orders for circulation half dollars 4 It took about 18 years 1981 1999 for the large inventory stockpile of a similar low demand circulation coin the 1 coin to reach reserve levels low enough to again produce circulation pieces citation needed Modern date half dollars can be purchased in proof sets mint sets rolls and bags from the U S Mint and existing inventory circulation pieces can be ordered through most U S banks and credit unions All collector issues since 2001 have had much lower mintages than in previous years Although intended only for collectors these post 2001 half dollars often find their way into circulation with examples occurring in change or as payment for small transactions 5 Aspects of early history EditOn December 1 1794 the first half dollars approximately 5 300 pieces were delivered Another 18 000 were produced in January 1795 using dies of 1794 to save the expense of making new ones 6 Another 30 000 pieces were struck by the end of 1801 The coin had the Heraldic Eagle based on the Great Seal of the United States on the reverse 6 150 000 were minted in 1804 but struck with dies from 1803 so no 1804 specimens exist though there were some pieces dated 1805 that carried a 5 over 4 overdate 6 In 1838 half dollar dies were produced in the Philadelphia Mint for the newly established New Orleans Mint and ten test samples of the 1838 half dollars were made at the main Philadelphia mint These samples were put into the mint safe along with other rarities like the 1804 silver dollar The dies were then shipped to New Orleans for the regular production of 1838 half dollars However New Orleans production of the half dollars was delayed due to the priority of producing half dimes and dimes The large press for half dollar production was not used in New Orleans until January 1839 to produce 1838 half dollars but the reverse die could not be properly secured and only ten samples were produced before the dies failed Rufus Tyler chief coiner of the New Orleans mint wrote to Mint Director Patterson of the problem on February 25 1839 7 The Orleans mint samples all had a double stamped reverse as a result of this production problem and they also showed dramatic signs of die rust neither of which are present on the Philadelphia produced test samples While eight Philadelphia minted samples survive to this day there is only one known New Orleans minted specimen with the tell tale double stamped reverse and die rust This is the famous coin that Rufus Tyler presented to Alexander Dallas Bache great grandson of Benjamin Franklin in the summer of 1839 and was later purchased in June 1894 by A G Heaton the father of mint mark coin collecting 8 The 1838 Philadelphia produced half dollars are extremely rare with two separate specimens having sold for 632 500 in Heritage auctions in 2005 and 2008 9 respectively The sole surviving Orleans minted 1838 is one of the rarest of all American coins 10 11 In 1840 this mint produced nearly 180 000 half dollars 6 In 1861 the New Orleans mint produced coins for three different governments A total of 330 000 were struck under the United States government 1 240 000 for the State of Louisiana after it seceded from the Union and 962 633 after it joined the Confederacy Since the same die was used for all strikings the output looks identical However the Confederate States of America actually minted four half dollars with a CSA rather than USA reverse and the obverse die they used had a small die crack Thus regular 1861 half dollars with this crack probably were used by the Confederates for some of the mass striking 12 There are two varieties of Kennedy half dollars in the proof set issues of 1964 Initially the die was used with accented hair showing deeper lines than the president s widow Jacqueline Kennedy preferred New dies were prepared to smooth out some of the details It is estimated that about 1 to 3 40 000 to 100 000 of the proof halves are of the earlier type making them somewhat more expensive for collectors 13 List of designs EditSilver half dollarsFlowing Hair 1794 1795 14 Draped Bust 1796 1807 Draped Bust Small Eagle 1796 1797 15 Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle 1801 1807 16 Capped Bust 1807 1839 Capped Bust Large Size With Motto 1807 1836 17 Capped Bust Small Size No Motto 1836 1839 18 Seated Liberty 1839 1891 Seated Liberty No Motto 1839 1866 19 Seated Liberty With Motto 1866 1891 20 Barber 1892 1915 21 Walking Liberty 1916 1947 22 Franklin 1948 1963 23 Kennedy 1964 General circulation issue 24 the last 90 silver half dollar for circulation contains 0 36169 oz net silver per coin or 7 234 oz silver per roll Kennedy 1992 present silver proof sets available 40 silver half dollarsKennedy 1965 1970 Kennedy 1976 only collectors sets produced with 40 silver Copper nickel clad half dollarsKennedy 1971 1974 1977 present Kennedy Bicentennial 1975 1976 all dated 1776 1976 Various half dollar designs From left to right Bicentennial Kennedy Franklin Walking LibertyList of early commemorative issues EditSee also Early United States commemorative coins Columbian half dollar 1892 1893 Panama Pacific half dollar 1915 Illinois Centennial half dollar 1918 Maine Centennial half dollar 1920 Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar 1920 1921 Missouri Centennial half dollar 1921 Alabama Centennial half dollar 1921 Grant Memorial half dollar 1922 Monroe Doctrine Centennial half dollar 1923 Huguenot Walloon half dollar 1924 Lexington Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar 1925 Stone Mountain Memorial half dollar 1925 California Diamond Jubilee half dollar 1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial half dollar 1925 United States Sesquicentennial half dollar 1926 Oregon Trail Memorial half dollar 1926 1939 Vermont Sesquicentennial half dollar 1927 Hawaii Sesquicentennial half dollar 1928 Maryland Tercentenary half dollar 1934 Texas Centennial half dollar 1934 1938 Daniel Boone Bicentennial half dollar 1934 1938 Connecticut Tercentenary half dollar 1935 Arkansas Centennial half dollar 1935 1939 Arkansas Robinson half dollar 1936 Hudson Sesquicentennial half dollar 1935 California Pacific International Exposition half dollar 1935 1936 Old Spanish Trail half dollar 1935 Rhode Island Tercentenary half dollar 1936 Cleveland Centennial half dollar 1936 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial half dollar 1936 Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar 1936 Long Island Tercentenary half dollar 1936 York County Maine Tercentenary half dollar 1936 Bridgeport Connecticut Centennial half dollar 1936 Lynchburg Sesquicentennial half dollar 1936 Elgin Illinois Centennial half dollar 1936 Albany Charter half dollar 1936 San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge half dollar 1936 Columbia South Carolina Sesquicentennial half dollar 1936 Delaware Tercentenary half dollar 1936 Battle of Gettysburg half dollar 1936 Norfolk Virginia Bicentennial half dollar 1936 Roanoke Island half dollar 1937 Battle of Antietam half dollar 1937 New Rochelle 250th Anniversary half dollar 1938 Iowa Centennial half dollar 1946 Booker T Washington Memorial half dollar 1946 1954 See also Edit Money portal Numismatics portal United States portalUnited States Mint coin production 1814 platinum half dollarReferences Edit U S MINT Catalog a b kennedy half dollars United States Mint Retrieved 2016 03 08 Gilkes Paul 2021 P Kennedy half dollars now being found in circulation Coin World Amos Media Company Retrieved 21 July 2021 Half Dollar US Mint Retrieved 1 March 2022 United States Half Dollars Denver Coin Store Web Retrieved 13 March 2016 a b c d Julian R W December 2006 All About the Half Dollar The Numismatist 119 12 38 U S Archives general correspondence of the Philadelphia Mint box 39 Treatise on coinage of The United States Branch Mints published 1893 author Augustus Heaton 1 Proof 63 The Surprising History Of The 1838 O Half Dollar published Jan 2012 by Ivy Press David Stone and Mark Van Winkle authors Heritage 2 Proof 64 The SS Republic Shipwreck Project the Coin Collection p 23 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2010 11 29 Retrieved 2009 12 26 What exactly is an Accented Hair Kennedy Archived from the original on 2010 01 13 Retrieved 2009 12 23 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1794 95 Half Dollar Flowing Hair CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1796 97 Half Dollar Draped Bust Small Eagle CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Archived from the original on 2009 03 21 Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1801 07 Half Dollar Draped Bust Heraldic Eagle CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Archived from the original on 2009 03 21 Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1807 36 Half Dollar Capped Bust Lettered Edge CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Archived from the original on 2009 03 21 Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1836 39 Half Dollar Capped Bust Reeded Edge CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Archived from the original on 2009 03 21 Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1839 66 Half Dollar Seated Liberty No Motto CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Archived from the original on 2009 03 21 Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1866 91 Half Dollar Seated Liberty With Motto CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Archived from the original on 2009 04 04 Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1892 1915 Half Dollar Barber CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1916 47 Half Dollar Walking Liberty CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1948 63 Half Dollar Franklin CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Retrieved 2009 03 13 NGC Photo Proof 1994 1964 Half Dollar Kennedy CoinSite ROKO Design Group Inc Retrieved 2009 03 13 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Half dollar United States coin amp oldid 1131863452, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
