More Kennedies

[Finn235]

My bank finally made good on their promise to order a box of half dollars for me, and not wanting to have them disappear, I picked up $200 worth. I am still going through them (and will be for quite a while) but here is a few teaser shots of what I have found so far...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thedeadpoint]

WOW! Any silver or SMS?

[Finn235]

Sadly, the only silver in there was the '66 and '67. I'm organizing them right now, and I've found a 2003-P in good shape and a 1999-P in fantastic shape.

 

Also, I have noticed that there seems to be a slight mint mark variety present in the '71-D coins. The difference is difficult to tell without a reference, but I am fairly certain that some coins have a smaller mint mark. Do any of you know about this?

[thedeadpoint]

Sorry. Though I'm a US coin collector, I just never got into Kennedys

[Saor Alba]

Sorry. Though I'm a US coin collector, I just never got into Kennedys

 

 

I am not wild about Kennedy's either, but silver in all forms I love.

[Art]

Nice finds. Keep up the fun hunting.

[Burks]

Nice proof find!

 

I found a proof Kansas quarter in circulation a few months ago.

[Finn235]

Finally done sorting through everything. Surprisingly, this got me almost to the point of completing the entire set, at least up to 2001. I did not find any from 1978 (except for the proof) or 1988, and I was missing all silver years except the ones I posted. Not surprisingly, about half of the total coins were bicentennial or 1971-1974. Surprisingly, however, I found a considerable number of the less common (1991 and later) dates. A considerable number of coins showed the signs of being overly-jostled in a coin jar for 20+ years and will be headed back for circulation.

[Saor Alba]

The coins that were bashed up were probably in a casino for a time, back until a few years ago casinos used them a lot. Now I am pretty sure slot machines that actually take and payout coins are pretty scarce.

[Finn235]

Today I finally got a start on the task of putting all the rejects back into circulation. After swapping 10 of them into my till yesterday at work, I handed 37 to a cashier to pay for a shirt I bought today. The look on his face was priceless. Hopefully he was able to give a few of them back out as change.

[thedeadpoint]

Hopefully he was able to give a few of them back out as change.

 

If you had given out only 3 or 4, they'd be a novelty and he'd pocket them for $2. I like the way you did it! It'll encourage him to spend/disburse those coins!

[ikaros]

If you had given out only 3 or 4, they'd be a novelty and he'd pocket them for $2. I like the way you did it! It'll encourage him to spend/disburse those coins!

It's getting harder to get rolls of Kennedys from the local banks.

 

'Course, I've also had the window person at Tim Hortons ask if it was a two dollar coin when paying with them...

[Finn235]

I finally managed to put most of the first batch into circulation, so I decided to pick up a second batch of $130 today. No proofs or mint set coins this time, but I got something I missed the first time around:

 

 

TWO '64-P's and a '65. That's about $15 worth of sliver, and it only cost me $1.50!

 

As with the last time, slightly more than half of the coins were '71-'79, although a surprising number of rare dates (1999-P and 1988-D) were mixed in. Again, many of them were heavily worn, while some were remarkably well-struck.

[Art]

Nice finds. It's fun to search the rolls but it's gotten to be just too hard to get them here. The banks I deal with want 2000 dollar minimum to order halfs from the FED.

[Finn235]

Picked up my final batch today of $160. I haven't gone through them all yet, but I couldn't help myself when I saw a '68-D peeking out of a roll.

 

That roll contained 3 40% silver halves (2x'68-D and '67), 81-P, 88-D, 93, 94, and this beauty:

 

 

The photo doesn't do it justice. This is the most beautifully lustrous circulating coin I have ever seen. So much so, that I mistook it for a proof when it came out of the roll. On top of that, only 10.6 M minted!

[Art]

Very nice. I'm always tempted to do this but the local banks that I deal with require you to order $2000 of halfs at a time. Too much money to tie up. I takes them about a week to get the coins. Then figure another week to search and maybe a week or two to redistribute. Maybe when I retire if there are any left.

[Finn235]

What is the rationale behind ordering a minimum of 4 boxes? That is an absolutely absurd amount!!!

[Art]

What is the rationale behind ordering a minimum of 4 boxes? That is an absolutely absurd amount!!!

 

 

I think the rationale is they don't want to be bothered with it. It's strange that two entirely different banks have the same rule. I could understand it better if they were branches of the same big bank or such.

[jtryka]

Very cool finds! I used to search regularly when I lived in Portland, Oregon, but back then when silver was like $4 people wouldn't even bother selling silver and just spend them. Once i got 3 solid rolls of 40% halves from the bank, and probably collected about $100 face over time of 40% and 90% halves (including quite a few Franklins), but now with silver so much higher, I think the finds are becoming much more hard to come by.

[Finn235]

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've run out of half dollars and ordered another box. I'll be picking it up sometime on Monday. Wish me luck, everyone!

 

Notable finds from the last box:

 

3 90% halves

7-ish 40% halves

1987-P

2003 & 2004

1978 & 1982 proofs

About 5 1999-P

 

All total, 5 coins that were never supposed to see circulation, about $30 worth of silver, and probably enough bicentennials to make 5 whole rolls.

[ccg]

I am so jealous - yet another part of American coin collecting that doesn't have a Canadian equivalent.

[Finn235]

Haha... don't worry. Half dollars are just about as difficult to find in regular circulation down here as they are up there. I think the only real difference is that it's still possible to get them at face value if you jump through a few hoops. I haven't found a bank that will order fewer than 1,000 though.

[ccg]

Well, not only are you able to get half dollars somewhat readily, but you can also spend them rather readily.

 

In my own experience, the Canadian 50c is not very well recognized in Canada. Even depositing them at banks usually resutls in some sort of commotion.

 

On the other hand, I have had no problem spending (US) half dollars when I'm in the US.

[Finn235]

Picked up a batch of $300 today with disappointing results.

 

There was no silver in this batch whatsoever, although it seemed to contain an unusually high number of 1995-2001 dated coins; many of the '95 halves were in superb condition.

 

Only notable finds:

 

2002-P (3.1M minted)

2006-P (2.4M minted)

Several 1999-P (8.9M minted) and 1999-D (10.6M minted)

1979-D (Despite the relatively high mintage, this coin seems particularly elusive

1978 (Again, these are more scarce than their late-90's counterparts in my roll searches)

[Saor Alba]

I usually cannot find Halves in any appreciable quantity. I tend to stick to buying them from 7-11 stores, the Post Office etc. I have turned up an occasional 90% Kennedy or a 40% that way.

 

BTW I have never seen a Canadian half in any banks. I tried Scotiabank and all the others years ago and gave up on getting any of them. They would sell me the occasional USA half though!