Is there a US half dollar coin?

Answer 1

There are US dollar coins featuring the likeness of Susan B Anthony that are roughly the same size as a quarter and have been mistaken for quarters - But they don't look a lot like a quarter and the edges are different as is the weight - they feel a little different. Plus, there was no Susan B. Anthony dollar made of silver; all were copper clad with cupro-nickel layers like the quarter and dime.

Answer 2

Standard half-dollars (e.g. Franklins, JFK, walking Liberty) have never been minted from gold, although there were some fractional gold pieces issued privately during the 19th century.

Any gold-colored halves have most likely been plated for use in jewelry or a display, but it's also possible the coin was exposed to heat or chemicals.

If you think about it for a few seconds, even the most boneheaded government type wouldn't create a large gold coin containing possibly hundreds of dollars worth of the metal and then put it into circulation for a half a buck.

Answer 3

Yes all US quarters made before 1965 are 90% silver and 10% copper. All dates after 1965 are made of copper and plated with nickel. By looking at the rim of the coin you can determine if it's silver or copper-nickel. If it's a solid white it is a 90% silver quarter. If there are 2 shades of color it is a clad version and is made of copper plated with nickel. Starting in 1993 the San Fransisco mint started making 90% silver proof versions of the quarters made that year.

Answer 4

Yes, it is called the 50 cent coin.

MoreAt one time half dollars circulated regularly in the US. But when President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the Mint and Congress decided to put his portrait on the half dollar starting in 1964, replacing Benjamin Franklin. JFK was so popular that nearly every one of the new coins were pulled out of circulation as keepsakes.

At the same time the price of silver skyrocketed so silver coins of all types were being melted and sold as bullion. In 1965 the Mint changed the composition of dimes and quarters from silver to copper-nickel, but - stupidly as it turned out - continued to make half dollars from silver. As a result, virtually any Kennedy half that wasn't saved as a memento ended up in a melting pot somewhere, and the coin effectively disappeared from circulation.

It took until 1971 for the Mint came to its collective bureaucratic senses and start making halves out of copper-nickel, too. But by that point Americans had grown accustomed to using multiple 25¢ coins (quarters) so the half dollar never recovered.

Finally, misconceptions persist even today that newer halves still contain silver, so many people mistakenly hoard any copper-nickel halves that they do find in change.

Answer 5

Yes, but how much silver depends on what year they were minted. Silver dollars from 1971 and after are merely copper coins with a nickel wash. Silver dollars from 1935 and earlier are 90% silver.

Note - Some Eisenhower dollars were struck in 40% clad silver and sold in special collectors' sets, but these coins weren't intended for circulation. In addition, an experimental run of 90% silver dollars was made in 1964 but the coins were never released to the public.

Answer 6

Yes, but it is usually in a really old coin and you can buy them on eBay for like 4.00$

Specifically:All US quarters dated 1964 and earlier are made of 90% silver alloy. Circulation quarters dated 1965 and later are made of copper-nickel.

Some 1976 quarters were made in 40% clad alloy, and special "Prestige" proofs have been made in 90% alloy since 1992, but all of these were only sold to collectors and not for spending.

Answer 7

No. Half dollar coins are unique with each series having its own design and numismatic value.

Answer 8

No. The modern presidential dollars are made of brass and contain no silver.

Answer 9

Yes, a quarter is mainly silver 90%