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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.In both size and weight, it is the largest circulating coin currently minted in the United States, [1] 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 first silver-clad half dollars were struck at the Denver Mint on December 30, 1965, bearing the date 1965; the date would not be changed for all US coinage until the coin shortage was eased. [20] Beginning on August 1, 1966, the Mint began to strike 1966-dated pieces, and thereafter it resumed the normal practice of striking the current ...
The new silver quarters entered circulation on August 1, 1932, and continued to be struck in silver until the Mint transitioned to copper-nickel clad coinage in 1965. A special reverse commemorating the United States Bicentennial was used in 1975 and 1976, with all pieces bearing the double date 1776–1976; there are no 1975-dated quarters.
The production of large numbers of U.S. gold coins (The first $1 and $20 gold coins were minted in 1849) from the new California mines lowered the price of gold, thereby increasing the value of silver. By 1853, the value of a U.S. silver dollar contained in gold terms, $1.04 of silver, equal to $38.09 today.
A silver coin is durable and long lasting (pure silver is relatively soft and subject to wear) . A silver coin is not subject to decay. A silver coin has intrinsic value, although the price of silver bullion coins is subject to market swings and general inflation. [6] Silver has always been a rare metal.
The basic obverse design of the Seated Liberty coinage consisted of the figure of Liberty clad in a flowing dress and seated upon a rock. [3] In her left hand, she holds a Liberty pole surmounted by a Phrygian cap, [2] which had been a pre-eminent symbol of freedom during the movement of Neoclassicism (and traces its roots back to Ancient Greece and Rome).
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There were two official releases in 1942: one regular five coin set and a set including a silver wartime nickel. United States currency was debased beginning in 1965, but the sets continued under the name United States Mint Proof Set. Production was moved to the San Francisco branch in 1968, and all subsequent issues bear coins with an "S" mint ...