Halves still (randomly) getting confused as dollar coins
Duh_OZ
over 2, $2's and 2 halves. The halves go under the till and the
cashier hands me $1.05 in change. I explain those were half dollars
so she lifts the till, looks them over and I hand back the $1. Then
she takes the halves and puts both on top of the $1 bills. So an
alleged $1 coin goes under the till but 2 halves go on top of the $1
bills? What-ever!
Jerry Dennis
Have a guestimate on her age? Sadly most "kids" under 30 don't have
any idea that half dollars even (or ever) exist. Want to have a real
ball? Pay for something with an Ike, an old silver certificate, or
even a pre-big portrait bill (they're still out there).
Jerry
Bruce Remick
"Duh_OZ" <ozzy....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b94a8609-b2ca-43ff...@z4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
If you can't understand the clerk's reaction to your deuces and halves, why
not simply hand her the five or five ones that she probably expected?
Reality
> "Duh_OZ" <ozzy.ko...@gmail.com> wrote in message
Because some people insist on incorporating obscure denominations into
regular commerce to unsuspecting and non-coin collecting clerks IMHO.
I have a nice source for beat up $2 bills and $1 silver certificates
that I only give out as as tips at resturants. That way, it gives
them a few minutes to figure it out, and hopefully realize, that they
are different and potentially cool to receive.
Otherwise, I side with the clerks on not knowing what the living f***
is going on, as they rarely or never see obscure coins and currency on
a daily basis.
Mr. Jaggers
> On Mar 22, 10:10?pm, Duh_OZ <ozzy.ko...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Happened again today at a thrift store. ? Bill was $4.95 so I hand
>> over 2, $2's and 2 halves. ? The halves go under the till and the
>> cashier hands me $1.05 in change. ?I explain those were half dollars
>> so she lifts the till, looks them over and I hand back the $1. ? Then
>> she takes the halves and puts both on top of the $1 bills. ? ?So an
>> alleged $1 coin goes under the till but 2 halves go on top of the $1
>
> Have a guestimate on her age? Sadly most "kids" under 30 don't have
> any idea that half dollars even (or ever) exist. Want to have a real
> ball? Pay for something with an Ike, an old silver certificate, or
> even a pre-big portrait bill (they're still out there).
Not too long ago I visited a coin shop, bought a couple of things, and got
an Ike and a Sac back in change. I left them as a tip in a Denny's. I
wonder if I dare ever go back in there.
James the (Alleged) Stiff
Mr. Jaggers
Heh. I wonder if you'd get flak for leaving some Barber coins as a tip.
James, Not Ready to Try It Yet
Duh_OZ
> "Duh_OZ" <ozzy.ko...@gmail.com> wrote in message
I almost never have singles on me, let alone five of them. The
halves seem to gather more interest than the $2's although I've had
customers behind me buy either/or from the cashier after seeing me
spend them. Besides, some clerks get a kick out of seeing this
"rare" currency that isn't rare at all :-) There is one place I
visit that thanks me for spending them as they exchange them and then
give the oddball currency as gifts to their kids.
OZ, gathering up 36 halves to pay for a 5K race. Yes, I pay money to
see how slow I can run.
mazorj
"Mr. Jaggers" <lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com> wrote in message
news:ho9at...@enews2.newsguy.com...
Maybe not at the barber shop?
Bruce Remick
"Mr. Jaggers" <lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com> wrote in message
news:ho9at...@enews2.newsguy.com...
I never left Barbers a tip until after I left college.
Bruce Remick
=========
Then maybe that's the place you should spend them. A place that you know
will appreciate them. Otherwise, you shouldn't be surprised or annoyed (
or secretly amused) when some clerks are confused by them.
=========
OZ, gathering up 36 halves to pay for a 5K race. Yes, I pay money to
see how slow I can run.
=========
Especially if you carried them in your pocket. Even back when they
circulated i doube there was more than once or twice a year that I would
have more than one half dollar in my pocket. Of course my financial
situation had nothing to do with it. ;>)
Jass
point, I expect that every half dollar transaction will result with
the cashier assuming it's a dollar coin, but she didnt even have to
look at it to know what it was. I was impressed.
I know if I were less honest and broke, paying with half dollars would
be a great way to save money from all the people who think it's a
dollar.
Now, you say that that half-dollars are perceived as rare but really
arent. I dont know about you, but it's pretty damn hard to get them
from a bank around here.
Bruce Remick
"Jass" <jamesi...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:f4d825d8-7982-46fa...@g1g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
Must be a regional thing. Around here they appear to be pretty much
available at banks if you ask for them. I've never found one that couldn't
come up with any, not based on asking but by seeing them in change trays at
teller windows. On the other hand, I would guess that they're extremely
rare in circulation almost everywhere, except in a few areas where
collectors like to play games with store clerks.
Jass
> "Jass" <jamesincl...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Perhaps it;s the same set of coins? Collector gets coins from banks,
spends at store. Store returns them to bank. Bank doesnt know what to
do with them, puts them in drawer. Collector gets the coins to spend
again.
Bruce Remick
========
I doubt it. The tellers in the bank I use the most keep an exposed coin
separator on the counter with horizontal rows of each denomination, which
includes maybe ten or twenty halves and some mixed dollar coins. Enough
people must ask about halves that they keep some handy, along with the
occasional loose dollar coins. I'd bet just having half dollars within view
of customers might prompt some customers to ask for a couple as a novelty.
Duh_OZ
> Now, you say that that half-dollars are perceived as rare but really
> arent. I dont know about you, but it's pretty damn hard to get them
> from a bank around here.
Sometimes you will have to order a brick(1,000 halves I believe), but
around Easter my bank gets them in because folks like to hide them in
plastic Easter eggs.
Once a guy paid a $500 car loan off with a brick of halves. I know
because a teller told me and I ended up with one, 40% after perusing
through them. Sad to say, that is better than I have done since ;-(
Relayer
>
> - Show quoted text -
If you are a clerk and handling money, the least you should expect is
they know the monetary system of the country they live in
Bruce Remick
"Relayer" <relay...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:6b3b5870-8223-41c0...@r1g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
> separator on the counter with horizontal rows of each denomination, which
> people must ask about halves that they keep some handy, along with the
> of customers might prompt some customers to ask for a couple as a
> novelty.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
If you are a clerk and handling money, the least you should expect is
they know the monetary system of the country they live in
==========
In a perfect world, maybe. I suppose you must live in one. If a new clerk
goes a year of more without getting handed a half dollar or $2 bill in
payment, wouldn't you expect some hesitation when some customer plops one of
each on the counter? That first experience probably would provide enough
education so the next time it would be no big deal.
How about US clerks who work in stores along the Canadian border that accept
both country's coins? Talk about having to deal with a ever-changing
variety of designs and denominations.
Duh_OZ
> On Mar 24, 4:59 pm, "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > "Relayer" <relayer...@aol.com> wrote in message
> with canadian coinage, especially around time when the canadian
> currency is worth much less than the american one. I know I frequently
> find low value canadian coins in my change in Massachusetts. I just
> ignore them and spend them away.
==============
Now that I think about it I have gotten more Canadian cents that I
usually do. The older, round ones which I assume get by the
store's suppliers coin sorters.
BTW, had to re-train a clerk today. Gave him $2 many-a-time and for
some reason today he seemed surprised to see one. And yep, he
mistook the half for a dollar. Now, you think when they look at the
reverse the 'half' would kind of give it away, but I guess they just
see the 'dollar' and that is that.
Tony Clayton
>
> Must be a regional thing. Around here they appear to be pretty much
> available at banks if you ask for them. I've never found one that couldn't
> come up with any, not based on asking but by seeing them in change trays at
> teller windows. On the other hand, I would guess that they're extremely
> rare in circulation almost everywhere, except in a few areas where
> collectors like to play games with store clerks.
>
When I lived in Canada in 1962 half dollars circulated a lot; mainly Canadian ones
but a good number of US ones also. On visits to the US half dollars were not uncommon.
Why did they drop out of use? I can understand the reason in Canada when the
dollar coin was introduced.
I will be visiting LA and San Francisco in August, and I look forward to seeing some of thes coins around ;-)
--
Tony Clayton tony.cla...@pem.cam.ac.uk
Coins of the UK : http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk
Sent using RISCOS using VirtualAcorn-SA running on a PC
... My other neighbour is quiet.
Scurvy Dog
"Tony Clayton" <to...@tclayton.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a98e2f051%to...@tclayton.demon.co.uk...
> In a recent message "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> Must be a regional thing. Around here they appear to be pretty much
>> available at banks if you ask for them. I've never found one that couldn't
>> come up with any, not based on asking but by seeing them in change trays at
>> teller windows. On the other hand, I would guess that they're extremely
>> rare in circulation almost everywhere, except in a few areas where
>> collectors like to play games with store clerks.
>>
>
> When I lived in Canada in 1962 half dollars circulated a lot; mainly Canadian
> ones
> but a good number of US ones also. On visits to the US half dollars were not
> uncommon.
>
> Why did they drop out of use? I can understand the reason in Canada when the
> dollar coin was introduced.
>
> I will be visiting LA and San Francisco in August, and I look forward to
> seeing some of thes coins around ;-)
If memory serves, half dollars fell out of general use after the 1965
elimination of silver from US coins.
Back in the 1950s, half dollars were in common use.
In recent decades I have never rec'd a half in change (unless I spot one in the
till and ask for it.)
Peter Irwin
> In a recent message "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
>
> Why did they drop out of use? I can understand the reason in Canada when the
> dollar coin was introduced.
They were unusual in circulation well before the introduction of the
loonie. I used to get them from the bank and spend them, but I'm the
sort of person who does that sort of thing. Most people in the 1980s
would remark that they hadn't seen one in years and were not aware
they were still being made.
One factor was that the mint stopped making 50 cent pieces in
the summer of 1967 (except for sets) because the price of silver
went above face value. The production did not start again until
the new nickel 50 cent coins came out in mid 1968. So for around
one year, 50 cent pieces were unobtainable at face value.
The new smaller nickel 50 cent pieces did circulate a bit in the
late 1960s, but they were never as popular again. Another factor
was the demise of the pay envelope. People used to very often
get their pay in cash, and the people putting the envelopes
together generally used 50 cent pieces were appropriate. Stores
were less likely to order 50 cent pieces for change even when they
were common.
Peter.
--
pir...@ktb.net
Jud
> Why did they drop out of use? I can understand the reason in Canada when the
> dollar coin was introduced.
>
Tony, the use of the half dollar pretty much ended shortly after the
assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, the last year
that Franklin half dollars were issued. The Kennedy halfs were issued
in 1964, and due to his popularity, they were hoarded extensively. It
was also announced that we would see clad coinage in 1965, eliminating
silver from all coins...except the still popular Kennedy half, but
reducing it from 90% silver to 40%. The 40% Kennedys were issued from
1965 until 1969 (1970 in mint and proof sets only).
Between those who hoarded silver coins and those who hoarded the new
Kennedy half dollars, it sounded the death knell for the use of half
dollars in every day commerce. As a kid I regularly saw both Franklin
and Walking Liberty halfs circulating freely, but after 1963 - early
1964 they effectively disappeared from every day use.
Jud -Love your website Tony!-
Bruce Remick
"Tony Clayton" <to...@tclayton.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a98e2f051%to...@tclayton.demon.co.uk...
>
>>
>> Must be a regional thing. Around here they appear to be pretty much
>> available at banks if you ask for them. I've never found one that
>> couldn't
>> come up with any, not based on asking but by seeing them in change trays
>> at
>> teller windows. On the other hand, I would guess that they're extremely
>> rare in circulation almost everywhere, except in a few areas where
>> collectors like to play games with store clerks.
>>
>
> When I lived in Canada in 1962 half dollars circulated a lot; mainly
> Canadian ones
> but a good number of US ones also. On visits to the US half dollars were
> not uncommon.
>
> Why did they drop out of use? I can understand the reason in Canada when
> the
> dollar coin was introduced.
>
> I will be visiting LA and San Francisco in August, and I look forward to
> seeing some of thes coins around ;-)
Lots of interesting opinions on this. Having lived through the phenomenon,
I think it just sort of happened without our realizing it. I don't believe
it was the lack of silver content that doomed the half, since the silver
content was removed from our other denominations as well. I do believe it
may have begun with merchants who gradually stopped including half dollars
in customers' change-- the means by which most of us accumulate coins from
circulation. If this is the case, I don't know what changed the merchants'
attitude. Conspiracy? Collusion?
I doubt you'll see any half dollars circulating during your visit, but a
stop at a couple of banks should get you a couple rolls if you're interested
in them.
Peter
This doesn't seem quite right to me.
Appreciable numbers of half dollar coins were issued at least through
2001 with the 2001D coins amounting to about 19 million. The most
plentiful recent year was 1995 with about 26 million 1995P and 26
million 1995D coins. By contrast, in that year there were over a
billion P and over a billion D quarters issued.
As far as the halves disappearing in the mid-60s, it was increasingly
clear to me, at least, that if the US was no longer issuing silver
coins, hoarding the silver ones was an idea with some merit. Being a
student with limited means, I kept few.
My current impression is that clerks are not what they used to be.
Fewer can actually make change without the help of their cash
register. Having fewer choices of coins makes sense to merchants
considering the capabilities of their staff and fewer purchases are
less than a dollar, so the emphasis is on getting the dollars right.
Oddly, I suppose that the current style is often to let the pennies
take care of themselves.
Jud
I guess the point I was trying to make is that from 1964-1971 there
were virtually -zero- half dollars in circulation. After that amount
of time people more or less stopped using them. Yes, there were
millions upon millions minted 1971+, but did people use them with the
exception of the 50¢ slot machines? Buy a roll of halves from the
bank, you may find a stray 40% coin, most of the others will either be
in either nice condition, or abused from slot machines. At least, that
has been my experience.
Michael Benveniste
> Between those who hoarded silver coins and those who hoarded
> the new Kennedy half dollars, it sounded the death knell for the
> use of half dollars in every day commerce. As a kid I regularly saw
> both Franklin and Walking Liberty halfs circulating freely, but after
> 1963 - early 1964 they effectively disappeared from every day use.
Hoarding certainly occurred, both of halves and silver coins, but
there were several other things going on at the same time.
Even before the Kennedy assassination, the U.S. was facing a coin
shortage. Why the shortage occurred is less clear. Congress and
the Treasury blamed coin collectors, and discouraged collectoring by
removing mint marks and suspending sales of proof sets from 1965 to
1967. Breen and others blamed the vending industry. Other suspects
included melters and speculators and the consumer photographic
industry driving up the price of silver. Personally, I think that
the search for "root" cause is futile. The shortage happened, and it
caused a a surge in half dollar circulation out of necessity.
As the shortage abated, not only did hoarding of halves occur,
but vending became more and more important. It didn't matter
if you were talking about old-fashioned pay phones, soda machines,
cigarette machines, or even belt mounted coin changers -- at
least in the U.S. they didn't take halves. Since a half weighed
as much as two quarters, eventually the nuisance of not being able
to use the coin in machines outweighed the advantage of using
fewer coins when making change.
As a result even when the motive for hoarding faded away, the
"half habit" had been broken, and there's been no serious
effort to revive use. While $0.50 slot machines were never
all that popular, the dominance of coinless slots has taken
away that application as well.
OTOH, a little over a week ago I played in a low-stakes HORSE
game at the Mohegan Sun casino. The ante for the stud games
was $0.50 and the casino supplied halves for that purpose.
--
Mike Benveniste -- m...@murkyether.com (Clarification Required)
Its name is Public opinion. It is held in reverence. It settles
everything. Some think it is the voice of God. -- Mark Twain
Bruce Remick
"Jud" <numis...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:eee9dd5a-9fc4-4cbb...@l36g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
========
That seems to prompt the question as to whether there was any one
particular thing that caused the demise of the half dollar in daily usage.
I remember using half dollars in the 1950's and 60's without even thinking,
because they usually would be included among the change I received. The
removal of silver from the half was notable, but silver also was removed
from the quarter and dime, neither of which seemed to be affected. At some
point, it had to be the merchants who gradually stopped including halves in
change. Customers then simply reused whatever coins they received, without
immediately noticing that they weren't getting half dollars much any more.
But what caused merchants to do that almost en masse? The half dollar had
become no less useful than it was in the 1950's. They weighed the same in a
pocket as they did in the 1950's. A curious phenomenon probably with lots
of different ideas.
Bruce Remick
"Michael Benveniste" <m...@murkyether.com> wrote in message
news:81ha1l...@mid.individual.net...
I don't recall any hoarding of clad half dollars, if that's the period
you're referring to. There were few common items sold in vending machines
in the early 1970's that cost more than a quarter, so the utility of halves
shouldn't have changed from the 1950's. With vending machines, progress
seemed to jump over the use half dollars in favor of the dollar bill changer
which dispensed smaller denominations for use in machines. Otherwise, the
half dollar should have been just as useful at the cash register. But it
apparently wasn't.
>
> As a result even when the motive for hoarding faded away, the
> "half habit" had been broken, and there's been no serious
> effort to revive use. While $0.50 slot machines were never
> all that popular, the dominance of coinless slots has taken
> away that application as well.
I'd be surprised if we could ever become universally comfortable again using
the half dollar. It will be hard enough to encourage the public to accept
the dollar coin as pocket change, as people become more and more accustomed
to using plastic for routine purchases. Even a decision to eliminate the
dollar bill in the next few years may be too late to interest people in
coins they had ignored for 30 years.
Michael Benveniste
> I don't recall any hoarding of clad half dollars, if that's the period
> you're referring to.
There was hoarding of 40% silver halves, but I don't think there
was hoarding of the CuNi clad halves or of the Ike Dollars
issued the same year. Not even of the Bicentennial issues,
although I imagine quite a few of those got "put away for the
kids" much like state quarters.
The other thing that happened c. 1971 was the commercial success
of dollar bill changer and validators.
> There were few common items sold in vending machines in the early 1970's
> that cost more than a quarter, so the utility of halves shouldn't have
> changed from the 1950's.
What changed is was that vending itself became much more common
in the early 1960's. Around 1960 there was even a dot-com style
stock market boom in vending machine companies, followed by the
inevitable consolidation. Here is a contemporaneous Time magazine
article on the industry:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938286,00.html
If you had two quarters in your pocket, you could buy a cup
of (awful) coffee from a vending machine. If you had a half
dollar, you couldn't.
Bruce Remick
> "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>
>> I don't recall any hoarding of clad half dollars, if that's the period
>> you're referring to.
>
> There was hoarding of 40% silver halves, but I don't think there
> was hoarding of the CuNi clad halves or of the Ike Dollars
> issued the same year. Not even of the Bicentennial issues,
> although I imagine quite a few of those got "put away for the
> kids" much like state quarters.
>
> The other thing that happened c. 1971 was the commercial success
> of dollar bill changer and validators.
That was what I remembered-- the bill changer, mainly. It virtually
eliminated the need to carry pocket change if your daily routine involved
use of vending machines.
>
>> There were few common items sold in vending machines in the early 1970's
>> that cost more than a quarter, so the utility of halves shouldn't have
>> changed from the 1950's.
>
> What changed is was that vending itself became much more common
> in the early 1960's. Around 1960 there was even a dot-com style
> stock market boom in vending machine companies, followed by the
> inevitable consolidation. Here is a contemporaneous Time magazine
> article on the industry:
>
> http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938286,00.html
>
> If you had two quarters in your pocket, you could buy a cup
> of (awful) coffee from a vending machine. If you had a half
> dollar, you couldn't.
Last time I bought a cup of coffee it probably was 10� or 15� at a diner.
Luckily for me, I've become satisfied over the years with a dash of instant
coffee in a cup of hot water in the morning at home. If I'm away from home,
it's no crisis if there's no morning coffee handy. Otherwise, even motel
bathroom coffee works for me. About when did they start charging more than
a quarter for a small cup of coffee in a machine?
Michael Benveniste
> Last time I bought a cup of coffee it probably was 10� or 15� at a diner.
> Luckily for me, I've become satisfied over the years with a dash of
> instant coffee in a cup of hot water in the morning at home.
The last time I bought a cup of coffee was this morning and I'm not
sure I've had a cup of instant coffee in the last 15 years. Different
people, different perspectives.
> About when did they start charging more than a quarter for a small
> cup of coffee in a machine?
I don't know, and it doesn't seem to be the sort of question answered
easily on line. The best I can do is tell you that in 1973, a cup of
coffee cost 20 cents at my local Burger King. So you probably wouldn't
have needed the second quarter until a while later. But if you only
had a half-dollar piece, you were still stuck.
Bruce Remick
> "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> Last time I bought a cup of coffee it probably was 10� or 15� at a diner.
>> Luckily for me, I've become satisfied over the years with a dash of
>> instant coffee in a cup of hot water in the morning at home.
>
> The last time I bought a cup of coffee was this morning and I'm not
> sure I've had a cup of instant coffee in the last 15 years. Different
> people, different perspectives.
I used to work with a couple types who insisted that the world and
everything else stand still until they had a good cup of morning coffee.
>
>> About when did they start charging more than a quarter for a small
>> cup of coffee in a machine?
>
> I don't know, and it doesn't seem to be the sort of question answered
> easily on line. The best I can do is tell you that in 1973, a cup of
> coffee cost 20 cents at my local Burger King. So you probably wouldn't
> have needed the second quarter until a while later. But if you only
> had a half-dollar piece, you were still stuck.
Sounds like that wasn't much of a problem since few people likely found
themselves with only a half dollar and no quarters.
Duh_OZ
1967) last night and heard a Kennedy half mentioned :0)
"But what does she bring on the wedding night, eh? Three Portuguese
escudos and one Kennedy half-dollar!"