Hey Jbuck, I Think I Found A Vending Machine For Halves

Now basebal21, we've been through this discussion before, about the vicious circle where "Consumers don't use halves because vending machines don't accept or dispense them" and "Vendors don't upgrade their machones to accept halves because consummers don't carry them" So, one of the two sides has to break the circle in order for the half to circulate.

Dollar coins are not carried around by people either, yet most vending machines take them, or are made to take them, even though, from what I have been reading and hearing, there is almost a ZERO percent chance of the $1 bill going anywhere, and I do believe that halves have a way better chance of circulating than dollar coins, if vending machines accepted and dispensed them for two reasons. 1) Most people in the U.S. prefer $1 bills over dollar coins, and 2) Halves are "fractional" currency, and fractional currency in the form of coins seems more widely accepted than non-fractional currency in the form of coins, such and $1,$2, and/or $5 coins.

Hmmmm I wonder if the outside pop machine at the local grocery store will take dollar coins and half dollar coins.


If I happen to jam the machine I won't get in trouble since my mom owns the store---of course the people who use the machine might get irritated with me

-MV

If it fits and has a place to go that is counted as acceptable (not a reject slot) then it should work. Sounds like the machine is not fully configured to accept half dollars. It may be by choice, since they do not want to hassle with them. I honestly do not know.

Hey Einstein, the 20 cent, 3 cent, 2 cent, (and you somehow managed to leave out the "half" CENT and the large dollar coin), are NOT "still in production" The half DOLLAR IS. If you do not believe me, then go to the U.S. Miny's website a http://www.usmint.gov and you will find all the proof you need. And don't give me that bull about the half dollar not being made for general circulation anymore, because, neither are dollar coins, and they are still making them regardless.




Oh, gee, and what about the small dollar coin? No one carries or uses those, yet vendors DID make most of their machines set up to take them. AND what about the penny? That coin is in wide circulation, yet most vending machines are NOT set up to accept them.

Its really not still in production. Collector only issues you have to pay a premium for do not count. Thats like expecting people to spend proof coins at face value.




They did so years ago. Its costs more money to undo then to just leave it and let it never be used.

But they dont




Its not still in production, no one has ever tried to argue that it is. Things set up to take it are cheaper to leave as they are then spend money changing them

Its okay, basebal21 I never believed you had anything against me, just as I've never had anything against you.

You have some good ideas, a lot of which I'll admit, I'm not smart enough to do. however, I just thought I had a ray of shining hope, when I talked to Eric Dell, because he is the Senior Vice President, Government Affairs at National Automatic
Merchandising Association, and like I said, he was going to propose the idea to the President of NAMA, if I remember correctly. I emailed him again, early this morning about the issue, but don't forget, this issue is not just about halves, but $2 bills as well.

As you mentioned, I have always liked the idea, as you know, of redesigning the half to the size of in between the nickel and quarter, and making it a soded coin. The two main reasons were 1) The vendors would not have to resize their faceplates and coin mechs, and 2) I thought that, if I want to convice the government that they are going to save money by minting more halves and less quarters, that the argument would not be valid as long as making one half uses the same amount of metals to make two quarters, so, if you are going to make one half to replace a couple quarters, is there really much of a point as long as they use the same amount of materials to make one heavier half, than two equal weighing quarters? Oh, theres a rgird reason about using a smaller, lighter half, as I have said: Some people do not like a lot of weight in their pockets and purses, so, if a half is lighter than two quarters, most people would probably go for it. The only reason I kind of stopped mentioning a redesign, was because I feared that the government would never step in and order a redesign of the half, and sadly enough, I called the U.S. Mint about an hour or so ago, and they said that, they don't know exactly what is going to be offered for the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy half, but it will be a type of collector set, however, there are no plans to change the designs of the main supply of halves and that the bags and rolls will be the same design as all of the past Kennedy halves are. No redesign, but I wish it would have happened, because now, the only good year to chnge the design of the half, would be next year in 2015, "after" the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy half, but hey, maybe "that" redesign is still a possibility. Maybe thats what the U.S. Mint has planned all along. You think? Hmm...

One more thing I would like to know, any anyone who wants to, can answer this: I know it has been stated that the government would save money, if they printed more $2 bills and less $1 bills, they would save money, by cutting cost productions in half, so, would minting more halves and less quarters save them money regargless of halves containing the same amount of metals as two quarters? Or would it about break even, due to using the same amounts of metals in two quarters vs. one half, unless the half were redesigned smaller? (This is assuming $2 bills and halves would circulate widely)