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) are denominated as either Coins or as banknotes. 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.
Circulating half dollars by country | |||||||||
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Country(s) / City | Unit of currency | Technical parameters | Description | Date of first minting [lower-alpha 1] | |||||
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 [lower-alpha 2] | 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] |
Former half dollars by country | ||||||||||
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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 [lower-alpha 3] | HD | N/A | N/A | N/A | 90% silver 10% copper | N/A | King Kalākaua | Value | 1883 | 1900 [lower-alpha 4] |
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 [lower-alpha 5] | 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 |
The Eastern Caribbean dollar is the currency of all seven full members and one associate member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The successor to the British West Indies dollar, it has existed since 1965, and it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $ or, alternatively, EC$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The EC$ is subdivided into 100 cents. It has been pegged to the United States dollar since 7 July 1976, at the exchange rate of US$1 = EC$2.70.
The Australian dollar is the official currency and legal tender of Australia, including all of its external territories, and three independent sovereign Pacific Island states: Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. In April 2022, it was the sixth most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market and as of Q4 2023 the seventh most-held reserve currency in global reserves.
Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in payment of a debt extinguishes the debt. There is no obligation on the creditor to accept the tendered payment, but the act of tendering the payment in legal tender discharges the debt.
The Singapore dollar is the official currency of the Republic of Singapore. It is divided into 100 cents. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issues the banknotes and coins of the Singapore dollar.
The British West Indies dollar (BWI$) was the currency of British Guiana and the Eastern Caribbean territories of the British West Indies from 1949 to 1965, when it was largely replaced by the East Caribbean dollar, and was one of the currencies used in Jamaica from 1954 to 1964. The monetary policy of the currency was overseen by the British Caribbean Currency Board (BCCB). It was the official currency used by the West Indies Federation. The British West Indies dollar was never used in British Honduras, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, or Bermuda.
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. Like other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.
Australian coins refers to the coins which are or were in use as Australian currency. During the early days of the colonies that formed Australia, foreign as well as British currency was used, but in 1910, a decade after federation, Australian coins were introduced. Australia used pounds, shillings and pence until 1966, when it adopted the decimal system with the Australian dollar divided into 100 cents. With the exception of the first Proclamation Coinage and the holey dollars, all Australian coins remain legal tender despite being withdrawn from circulation.
The Bermudian dollar is the official currency of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is subdivided into 100 cents. The Bermudian dollar is not normally traded outside Bermuda, and is pegged to the United States dollar at a one-to-one ratio. Both currencies circulate in Bermuda on an equal basis.
The Jamaican dollar has been the currency of Jamaica since 1969. It is often abbreviated to J$, the J serving to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 cents, although cent denominations are no longer in use as of 2018. Goods and services may still be priced in cents, but cash transactions are now rounded to the nearest dollar.
The Trinidad and Tobago dollar is the currency of Trinidad and Tobago. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively TT$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdivided into 100 cents. Cents are abbreviated with the cent sign ¢, or TT¢ to distinguish from other currencies that use cents. Its predecessor currencies are the Trinidadian dollar and the Tobagonian dollar.
The dinar is the national currency of Tunisia. It is subdivided into 1000 milim or millimes (ملّيم). The abbreviation DT is often used in Tunisia, although writing "dinar" after the amount is also acceptable ; the abbreviation TD is also mentioned in a few places, but is less frequently used, given the common use of the French language in Tunisia, and the French derivation of DT.
The pound was the official currency of Jamaica between 1840 and 1969. It circulated as a mixture of sterling coinage and locally issued coins and banknotes and was always equal to the pound sterling. The Jamaican pound was also used in the Cayman and Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Cook Islands dollar was the former currency of the Cook Islands, which now uses the New Zealand dollar, although some physical cash issued for the Cook Islands dollar remains in use. The dollar was subdivided into 100 cents, with some older 50-cent coins carrying the denomination as "50 tene".
The twelve-sided Australian fifty-cent coin is the third-highest denomination coin of the Australian dollar and the largest in terms of size in circulation. It is equal in size and shape to the Cook Island $5 coin, and both remain the only 12-sided coins in the southern hemisphere. It was introduced in 1969 to replace the round fifty-cent coin issued in 1966.
The Straits dollar was the currency of the Straits Settlements from 1898 until 1939. At the same time, it was also used in the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, Kingdom of Sarawak, Brunei, and British North Borneo.
The daler was the currency of the Danish West Indies between 1849 and 1917, and of the United States Virgin Islands between 1917 and 1934.
The coins of the New Zealand dollar are used for the smallest physical currency available in New Zealand. The current denominations are ten cents, twenty cents, fifty cents, one dollar and two dollars. The $1 and $2 coins are minted in a gold colour, the 20c and 50c coins are silver colour and the 10c coin is plated in copper.
The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it into 100 cents, and authorized the minting of coins denominated in dollars and cents. U.S. banknotes are issued in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, popularly called greenbacks due to their predominantly green color.
The Pitcairn Islands is a British overseas territory which uses the New Zealand dollar as its primary currency. However, the territory has issued commemorative Pitcairn Islands dollar coins since 1988. Although the Pitcairn Islands Dollar is legal tender and pegged at par to the New Zealand Dollar, it is not commonly used in general circulation and exists primarily to generate revenue for the territory coin collectors, with the sale of coins and other numismatic items being a major source of revenue for the territory. Having a population of only 50 according to the 2020 census, and with only one island in the group of four being populated, there is no need for local coinage. Coins consist of an important part of the Pitcairn Islands' tiny economy and help raise funds for the government's largely fixed and subsidised income.
The Kalākaua coinage is a set of silver coins of the Kingdom of Hawaii dated 1883, authorized to boost Hawaiian pride by giving the kingdom its own money. They were designed by Charles E. Barber, Chief Engraver of the United States Bureau of the Mint, and were struck at the San Francisco Mint. The issued coins are a dime, quarter dollar, half dollar, and dollar.