| Author |
 Replies: 33 / Views: 8,872 |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5208 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2077 Posts |
I remember hearing once that when referring to two, it's halfs, not halves. Not sure why. My spell checker doesn't agree.
|
|
Moderator
 Australia
16832 Posts |
Agree with Nathancrh1: I call them what they say on the coin. The largish-sized silver coin worth two quarters struck by America since 1839 is a "half dollar". The coins struck 1807-1839 (I believe you call them the "capped bust" series) are "50 cent coins". The coins struck prior to 1807 can be called either (or both), since they say "FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR" on the edge inscription. I also agree that "half" is an acceptable abbreviation, since all the other half-units (half cent, half-dime, half-eagle) have long since disappeared from everyday experience. Not that too many people in America actually experience halfs in change. Quote:
I remember hearing once that when referring to two, it's halfs, not halves. Not sure why. As far as I can tell, there is no particular distinction between the two plural forms of the word; they are interchangeable. "Halves" is the more proper form (Wiktionary labels "halfs" as "nonstandard"), though personally I would choose to use "halfs", to avoid confusion with the use of "halves" as a verb ("He halves the loaf of bread"). Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
|
|
Pillar of the Community
708 Posts |
I still say we should call one, a "half" and more than one, "halves" (not halfs) becaise most rolls I get from the banks and credit unions say "$10 HALVES" on them. Also, why call them half "dollars"? How many people go around calling quarters "quarter dollars"?
|
|
Moderator
United States
14463 Posts |
I call them half dollars or half dollar coins.
|
|
Moderator
United States
188765 Posts |
Quote:
I call it a roll of pennies that I can search once I exchange it! Nice.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
797 Posts |
It seems like I usually refer to them as halves when I am talking about the coins in a numismatic sense (my collection or when looking for coins at a show or coin shop or what not), but for some odd reason when I talk about using them as currency I say 50-cent piece. I don't often spend them but when I did (or do) I say 50-cent piece.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
927 Posts |
I prefer to say half dollar or halves or Kennedys. It is the American way.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12839 Posts |
"half dollar(s)" here. The spines of my albums say " Kennedy half dollars" and " Franklin half dollars", but those are really the same as "half dollar", just more specific. I see nothing wrong with "50-cent-piece". One of the fun things about English is that it lends itself easily to idioms, colloquialisms, abbreviations, and personalization. We can say many different things to convey the same meaning. I heard "two bits" earlier in this thread as slang for a quarter, but really, "quarter" is short for "quarter dollar" so that in itself is slang; an abbreviation. There is lots of non-generic USA money slang out there: penny...sawbuck...benjamin...single...bit (usually two bits)...large...c-note...spot... |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
807 Posts |
The Coinage Act of 1792 speaks of half dollars, "each to be of half the value of a dollar or unit". And the gold piece with the denomination "Twenty D" on it is called the "double eagle", "each to be of the value of twenty dollars", in its authorizing act.
A fifty-cent piece could be 0.50 of the Canadian dollar, 0.50 of the Australian dollar, 0.50 of the Euro... but a "half dollar" is peculiarly American.
Edited by publius
07/12/2013 2:06 pm
|
|
Valued Member
United States
293 Posts |
I have always used "half dollar" and never "50 cent piece" because the word "piece" that to me more fits your gold coins above $1.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1003 Posts |
|
|
Valued Member
United States
177 Posts |
I'm a suburb kid, and I just call them half dollars.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
593 Posts |
Mostly Half or 4 bit piece
|
|
Valued Member
United States
477 Posts |
I call them halves, except for Kennedys, those are "bootleggers".
Rick
|
| |
Replies: 33 / Views: 8,872 |
First Page
Posted 07/09/2013 10:10 pm
