Why the halfs ?

[G.I.B.]

Why the half's ?

On rainy days I really love reading the CRH forum. It's interesting to see what you guys get.

What is the purpose of the US half dollar coin? Nobody uses them in vending machines, toll booths, or carries them around in their pockets as change. Sure, every now and then someone taps the old coin jar for beer money... but generally they are unused by the overall public.

So other than you guys ordering them back and forth- why do banks bother with them? Who uses them, and for what?

Also, why is the 1964 nickel so hated?

Thanks.

 

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[jrf30]

1964 nickel. Too many of them. 1964 nickel = 1,024,672,000 and 1964 D = 1,787,297,160. Versus 1965 = 136,131,380 total. Just too many 1964s.

As for halves. they used to be circulated, and uised to be spent. NOw they are not, but they used to be.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Halves - they made tons of them. They gotta go somewhere. It's the roll hunters that circulate them now. If not for us they would sit in vaults somewhere gathering dust.

 

[Bigheed]

"cash" was different when it was silver, pure and simple. As for why they still make them, I have no idea, I agree, it seems more useless than the $2 bill, but they have been kind to me!

It's still out there!

 

[G.I.B.]

I'm glad you guys are getting some benefit from them. I guess they don't have any other use in todays society---

I tried carrying around the gold colored president dollar coins. It got to the only place that would take them without giving me a dirty look was the toll booths, and that was just because you threw it into a basket.

So I had a theory I discussed with my wife the other day.

The government mints a set of coins, or bills, that they know nobody will actually use. It takes produced/minted currency out of circulation. Will that do anything for the economy?

 

[FloridaFinder]

Don't they continue to mint NIFC coins in smaller quantities to sell them to collectors in special mint sets at a premium costs (over face value) to generate revenue for the mint? I thought I read that somewhere.

If you look at the US Mint's website you the consumer cannot buy anything at face value anymore, and they charge you shipping. They sell to the US Government at face value, so they supposedly need to generate money to offset operating costs. That makes sense in theory.

 

[OnARoll]

I wonder if the US mint dumps the NIFC halfs into circulation if people don't order them enough, rather then them taking up space in their vaults

 

[baddbluff]

I wonder if the US mint dumps the NIFC halfs into circulation if people don't order them enough, rather then them taking up space in their vaults

They must. How else do they show up in large #s in circulation? I just can't see people opening up mint sets by the tens of thousands & spending them.

 

[twiasp]

I'm glad you guys are getting some benefit from them. I guess they don't have any other use in todays society---

The government mints a set of coins, or bills, that they know nobody will actually use. It takes produced/minted currency out of circulation. Will that do anything for the economy?

Pennies, nickels, dimes don't have much use in today's society either but we still use them, it can't just be all quarters and dollars.

Why the government does things like make the stupid gold presidential dollars, who knows, good luck explaining half the crap government does with your tax dollars. They quit using SBA's because people confused them with quarters, so they basically changed the coloring of them and edges and launched a new useless dollar coin years later..... which now sit around useless as well because people confuse them with quarters.

 

[G.I.B.]

Pennies, nickels, dimes don't have much use in today's society either but we still use them, it can't just be all quarters and dollars.

Which goes back to my original question...

Why the half's?

I use the cents, nickels, dimes and quarters- as do a lot of other people. I don't know anybody who uses a half for anything... except CRH.

 

[stonehenge]

Minting of coins, dimensions, weights and quantities is required and set by the US Code of Federal Regulations. If Congress wants to change/stop, they can change the code. Coins honor Presidents and important figures (as well as placate special interests) so unless some Republican wants to see the Dems hit the roof , ole JFK will be circulating at about 2.5 million coins per year for a while.

 

[twiasp]

It is easier to use and carry than 50 cents or 10 nickels...? Why did they used to use 1/2 cents, 2 cents, 3 cents, etc... Just the way it is. A nickel used to get you a soda, now it won't buy you a crappy piece of gum out of a gumball machine, as i'm sure the half dollar used to be much more useful, maybe someday it will be on the bottom of the totem pole like a cent is now. Why does the half dollar get so much hate lol, why do we use dollar coins when we already have dollar bills?

 

[G.I.B.]

Why does the half dollar get so much hate lol, why do we use dollar coins when we already have dollar bills?

When was the last time you, or anyone you know, was standing at the fast food restaurant, bar, grocery store or anywhere, and paid any portion of the bill with a half dollar coin? Much less, a dollar coin?

So why is 'ol JFK circulating if nobody is using him?

 

[stonehenge]

When was the last time you, or anyone you know, was standing at the fast food restaurant, bar, grocery store or anywhere, and paid any portion of the bill with a half dollar coin? Much less, a dollar coin?

So why is 'ol JFK circulating if nobody is using him?

Me.

Every day.

 

[G.I.B.]

Me.

Every day.

Cool, do you get any funny looks?

 

[fistfulladirt]

When was the last time you, or anyone you know, was standing at the fast food restaurant, bar, grocery store or anywhere, and paid any portion of the bill with a half dollar coin? Much less, a dollar coin?

So why is 'ol JFK circulating if nobody is using him?

Been doing it for years! I like spending the Ikes at the drive-thru, and giving a couple as tips. In the drive thru, sometimes they don't even bat an eye, the younger ones...

 

[twiasp]

I spend them all the time, that is half the fun of them being not used. Some people love seeing them and some it just throws them a curveball. Funny how you get so many people smiling out of an Ike as a tip or buying something, yet we don't use them, sounds backwards to me, so spend as many as i can to spread the smiles.

 

[sagittarius98]

They must. How else do they show up in large #s in circulation? I just can't see people opening up mint sets by the tens of thousands & spending them.

They are sold in mint rolls primarily.