Half dollar (United States coin)
| United States | |
| Value | 0.50 U.S. dollar |
|---|---|
| Mass | 11.340 g (0.365 troy oz) |
| Diameter | 30.61 mm (1.205 in) |
| Thickness | 2.15 mm (0.085 in) |
| Edge | 150 reeds |
| Composition | 91.67% Cu 8.33% Ni |
| Years of minting | 1794–present |
| Catalog number | – |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | John F. Kennedy |
| Designer | Gilroy Roberts |
| Design date | 1964 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design | Presidential Seal |
| Designer | Frank Gasparro |
| Design date | 1964 |
The United States half dollar coin, sometimes referred to as the fifty-cent piece or simply the half, is a United States coin worth 50 cents, one-half of a dollar, and is the largest U.S. coin currently minted, in both size and weight, being 1.205 inches (30.61 mm) in diameter and .085 inches (2.15 mm) in thickness, and is twice the weight of the quarter. The current coin, the Kennedy 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, but the design has undergone a number of changes throughout its history. It has been produced every year since the conception of the United States Mint in 1794. The only other U.S. coin that has been minted as consistently is the cent.
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, a large amount of pre-2002 half dollars remain in Federal Reserve vaults, prompting the change in production. Presently, collector half dollars can be ordered straight from the U.S. Mint, and pre-2002 circulation half dollars may be ordered through most U.S. banks.
Half dollar coins saw heavy use, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century. For many years, they were commonly used in casinos. 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.
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