Half dollar coins have been produced
nearly every year since the inception of the United States Mint in
1794.
Sometimes referred to as the
fifty-cent piece, the only U.S. coin that has been minted more
consistently is the cent.
Half dollar coins saw heavy use,
particularly in the first half of the twentieth century. For many years
they were commonly used in casinos. Rolls of half dollars may still be
kept on hand in cardrooms for games requiring 50-cent antes or bring-in
bets, for dealers to pay winning naturals in blackjack, or where the
house collects a rake in increments of 50 cents (usually in low-limit
seven-card stud and its variants). Some slot machines also took in, and
paid out in, 50-cent pieces; however, casinos in recent years have
phased in "coin-less" slots for all denominations, taking in paper
dollars, and paying winners through vouchers. |
