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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,119 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4867 Posts |
Had Roosevelt and Kennedy not have passed on when they did, how long would have the Mercury dime and Franklin half dollar continued? A clad Franklin would have been interesting to say the least... |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2270 Posts |
...And the clad Mercury dime could be nearly 100 years old now. There would be more dates in clad than silver. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1682 Posts |
I assume you mean if either would have not died while in office since I think FDR would have passed away by now anyways otherwise he would be around 131 years old. Kennedy could still be alive, since he would 96. I think the Franklin half would have continued. I would have liked to have seen a bicentennial half dollar with Franklin on the obverse and Independence Hall on the reverse. Now the Mercury is interesting, since I think they would have decided to put some president on it by now since it would have been the odd one for a while until the SBA dollar and Native American dollar came along. Of course, I prefer the coin designs before former presidents were placed on them. Ken |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
I dont think theres really any doubt that the Franklin half would have continued for a long time had Kennedy not been assassinated. In fact theres a decent chance it may not have ever existed at all and could instead be something like the Regan half. I do agree the Mercury dime would have been changed by now and very well could be exactly what it is today anyway. |
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Moderator
 United States
187862 Posts |
Quote:
In fact theres a decent chance it may not have ever existed at all True that. The Franlkin Half came two years after the Roosevelt dime. Maybe we would have had a Franklin Dime first, then who knows who or what on the Half Dollar (if either had changed at all). |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4212 Posts |
A Franklin dime would make a very small Bugs Bunny.
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17905 Posts |
Wasn't Roosevelt famous for the "March of Dimes" - and for that reason they chose that denomination to commemorate him? And didn't the fasces on the reverse of the Mercury dime have a rather sinister connotation after World War II?  I sometimes wonder what British coins would have been like if Edward VIII had not abdicated. He lived until 1972, so we could have had decimal coins with his portrait!  Edited by NumisRob
09/30/2013 5:36 pm
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Moderator
United States
187862 Posts |
Quote:Wasn't Roosevelt famous for the "March of Dimes" - and for that reason they chose that denomination to commemorate him? And didn't the fasces on the reverse of the Mercury dime have a rather sinister connotation after World War II? As far as I know, yes and yes. But the question here is what dime would we have had he not died when he did. Considering that he led us out of the Great Depression and through a World War ( please, no arguing if the ends justified his means), perhaps a Roosevelt dime was inevitable. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11951 Posts |
Very Interesting  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
If Kennedy had not been assassinated, Half-Dollars would have stayed in large-volume circulation rather than being hoarded as JFK mementos. Yes, the 1948-64 90% Silver Franklins and 1965-70 40% Franklins would have been subject to Gresham's Law  and would now be junk silver, but the 1971-date Clad Franklins would be as common as 1965-date Quarters. We may well have had 50-state, Territory and ATB Franklin halves instead of Quarters. AND, the Ike and all subsequent $1 coins may not have existed in a world where Half-Dollars had continued to circulate in their pre-1964 volume (or even higher, thanks to inflation). We might have ended up with an Eisenhower Dime (with the Roosevelt dime style reverse)...  Edited by DNA
09/30/2013 11:24 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2805 Posts |
I thought the Franklin halves were unpopular and considered "ugly" at the time? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
950 Posts |
Another facet to this scenario... IF the Franklin half continnued, would 1964/1970 have still been the end of silver? If nobody was hoarding Kennedy half dollars, there would have been less need to mint new silver coins, making silver prices lower and the switch to clad may have been later. If so.. would they have released the 1964 Peace dollar then? |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:IF the Franklin half continnued, would 1964/1970 have still been the end of silver? Had Kennedy not been assassinated causing the special switch if the half Silver overall may have stayed a few more years in coins, but there would have been no reason to run the 40 percent silver coins for halfs when it did get removed from everything else. At some point it was going to get removed either way, but Halfs would have had no reason to get special treatment |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
950 Posts |
The switch was done because silver prices were getting too high, not because of the assassination necessarily. From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) people hoarded Kennedy half dollars like mad when they came out, and this caused silver prices to rise. You're right.. Eventually the switch would have happened anyway, but I bet it would have been later. That's why they proposed the new Peace dollar too, so they could buy more silver. Edited by baysinger626
10/01/2013 3:30 pm
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,119 |
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Posted 09/30/2013 12:59 pm
