Half dollar

Not to be confused with half a crown also sometimes referred to as half a dollar.

The term "half dollar" refers to a half-unit of several currencies that are named "dollar". One dollar ($1) is normally divided into subsidiary currency of 100 cents, so a half dollar is equal to 50 cents. These half dollars (aka 50 cent pieces) take the form of either coins or as banknotes.^{[ But there are no half-dollar banknotes given in the article. Are there any? ]} Although more than a dozen countries have their own unique dollar currency, not all of them use a 50 cent piece or half dollar. This article only includes half dollars and 50 cent pieces that were intended for circulation, those that add up to units of dollars, and those in the form of a coin.

• Note: The blue linked years included in the tables link to articles about the coins.

Currently minted

The obverse side of a United States half dollar

Circulating half dollars by country
Country(s) / City	Unit of currency	Technical parameters				Description			Date of first minting [a]
		Diameter	Thickness	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse
Australia and its territories	AUD	31.65 mm	2.5 mm	15.55 g	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	Plain	Queen Elizabeth II	Coat of Arms	1985
Bahamas	BSD	29 mm	N/A	10.51 g	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Coat of Arms	A Marlin leaping out of water.	1974
Belize	BZD	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Ornamental - Country/Value/Date	1974
Brunei	BND	27.70 mm	N/A	7.29 g	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	Reeded	Hassanal Bolkiah	Coat of Arms	1993
Canada [b]	CAD	27.13 mm	1.95 mm	6.9 g	93.15% steel, 4.75% copper, 2.1% nickel plating	Milled	Queen Elizabeth II	Coat of Arms	2000
Fiji	FJD	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	A Humphead wrasse	A takia	2012 [1]
Hong Kong	HKD	22.5 mm	1.72 mm	4.92 g	Brass-plated steel	Milled	Bauhinia	Value	1993
Liberia	LRD	N/A	N/A	9.0 g	Nickel Clad Steel	N/A	William R. Tolbert Jr.	Coat of Arms & Motto	2000
New Zealand and others.	NZD	24.75 mm	1.70 mm	5.0g	Nickel-plated steel	Plain	Queen Elizabeth II	HMS Endeavour	1999
Singapore	SGD	23 mm	2.45 mm	6.56 g	Nickel-plated steel	Scalloped	Coat of Arms	Port of Singapore	2013
Solomon Islands	SBD	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Coat of Arms	2012 [2]
Trinidad and Tobago	TTD	N/A	N/A	N/A	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Coat of Arms	Value	1976
United States and others	USD	30.61 mm	2.15 mm	11.34 g	Cupronickel: 75% copper 25% nickel	Reeded	John F. Kennedy	USA Presidential Seal	1971 [3]

Formerly minted

Newfoundland 50-cent piece from 1908 depicting King Edward VII

Former half dollars by country
Country(s) / City	Unit of currency	Technical parameters				Description			Introduced	Withdrawn
		Diameter	Thickness	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse
Bermuda	BMD	30.5 mm	N/A	12.60 g	75% copper 25% nickel	Milled	Queen Elizabeth II	Coat of arms	1970	1990 [4]
Confederate States of America	CSD	30.6 mm	N/A	12.44 g	90% silver 10% copper	Reeded	Seated Liberty	Peterson CSA seal	1861	1865
Cook Islands	CID	32 mm	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Value	1972	2016 [5]
Crown Colony of North Borneo	MBBD	N/A	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Value	1953	1969
Crown Colony of Sarawak	MBBD	N/A	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Value	1953	1967
Dominion of Newfoundland	NFD	29.85 mm	N/A	11.78 g	92.5% silver 7.5% copper	Reeded	Reigning British Monarch	Value	1870	1949
Federation of Malaya	MBBD	N/A	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Value	1953	1969
Hawaiian Kingdom [c]	HD	N/A	N/A	N/A	90% silver 10% copper	N/A	King Kalākaua	Value	1883	1900 [d]
Jamaica	JMD	31.37 mm	N/A	12.43 g	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Coat of arms	Marcus Garvey	1976	1990
Kiribati	KID	31.65 mm	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Coat of arms	Pandanus tree	1979	In circulation
Sarawak	SD	N/A	N/A	N/A	80% silver 20% copper (1858-1919) 40% silver 60% copper (1920-1953)	N/A	White Rajahs	N/A	1858	1953
Taiwan [e]	TWD	18 mm	N/A	3.0 g	97% copper 2.5% zinc 0.5% tin	N/A	Mei Blossom	Value	1981 [6]	Un­known
Tuvalu	TVD	32 mm	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	Octopus	1976	In circulation
West Indies Federation	BWI	N/A	N/A	N/A	75% copper 25% nickel	N/A	Queen Elizabeth II	N/A	1955	1981

Notes

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1. Some countries have had many varieties and forms of half dollars/50 cent pieces. The dates used in this table reflect when the current form (design/metal base) was first issued.
2. Half dollars from this country no longer circulate as they are minted in small amounts for collectors who purchase them at a premium
3. These half dollars were also accepted as legal tender by the successive Provisional Government of Hawaii, and Republic of Hawaii governments.
4. These coins were used until Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900
5. While 50-cent pieces have been discontinued in Taiwan, they are still legal tender.

References

1. "New Currency Designs". Fiji Times. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
2. "New coins of the Solomon Islands". mas.gov.sg. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
3. "Kennedy Half Dollar". www.virmu.com. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
4. "Calling in of the One Dollar Note and the Fifty Cent Circulation Coin" (PDF). Laws of Bermuda. Government of Bermuda. 30 March 1990. GN 200/1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
5. "Public Notice: Old Cook Islands Coins No Longer Legal Tender as of 1 May 2016 - Cook Islands - Ministry of Finance and Economic Management". cookislands.gov.ck.
6. "中央銀行發行之貨幣及偵偽鈔辨識".