My Personal Half Dollar Search Results for 2023

[Recyclersteve]

Previously I posted search results for Saabman, who searches huge quantities of half dollars including lots of $500 boxes.

I thought it would also be worthwhile to post my own personal search results for 2023- a bit late, but that little thing called life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes...

Here is what I personally did with half dollars for 2023:

Face Value Searched: $4,186.50 (so 8,373 halves)
Walkers and Franklins Found: 41 (excellent results compared with the number of 1964's found!)
1964 Kennedys Found: 9
40% Silvers Found: 81
Total Silvers Found: 131

So, 1.56% of the halves gone through were silver. This is 1 of every 63.9 halves, which was the second best year for me in terms of percentages of silver since 2010. 2019 was slightly better, but the results were skewed by a visit to a single bank which produced 26 of the 39 silvers (2/3 of them) found for the entire year. So 2023 felt better because I had 4 nice trips to the bank (with 8 or more silvers each time) instead of a single one in 2019.

I may have mentioned elsewhere, but, for me, 2004-2010 were bonanza years and 2011-2022 was one mighty long drought. 2023 ended up being a pleasant surprise. That said, I have noticed that it seems like many more banks now have ZERO HALVES OF ANY KIND. I never did track how many banks I go to that have zero halves, but it seems like many fewer have even clad halves. In other words, it seems like there is a lot more work required than during the bonanza years.

For my analysis of the Saabman results, check a posting that I made on 8/15/23. It was then updated early this year to show totals for him for calendar year 2023.

NOTE: I do NOT get rolls of dimes or quarters, as I just haven't had that much luck with them for many years.

[Cu Penny Hoarder]

41 Walkers and Franklin's, but only 9 JFK's?

[coindood]

Steve, since your results were so contrary to the previous decade, would you consider 2023 a fluke, or a new above average period emerging?

[Recyclersteve]

90 JFK’s, but only 9 were from 1964. It is definitely odd to find more pre-64’s than 64’s!

[Morsecode]

Total Silvers Found: 131

So, comparing that to my results over the same time span...if my math is correct, that would be approx. 131 more than I found.

[Cu Penny Hoarder]

Total Silvers Found: 131

So, comparing that to my results over the same time span...if my math is correct, that would be approx. 131 more than I found.

I gave up searching halves in the early 2000's. I found many 90% and 40% in the 80's and 90's.

[Silver4face]

Steve, thanks for sharing these numbers with us. You had a good year; you averaged more than ten per month.

[Recyclersteve]

Steve, since your results were so contrary to the previous decade, would you consider 2023 a fluke, or a new above average period emerging?

Hard to say. I could probably argue either way. I remember during the early COVID times that I thought there would be a lot of older people passing away soon. Add 6-12 months after that for the estate settlement process and I figured that would be a time when lots of coins would be turned into banks. Add to that the fact that crypto gets lots of attention and that too causes coins to be pushed to the back burner. But it never fully materialized like I thought.

[Recyclersteve]

Total Silvers Found: 131

So, comparing that to my results over the same time span...if my math is correct, that would be approx. 131 more than I found.

Hopefully you didn’t need a calculator to do that one!

[Cu Penny Hoarder]

Steve, since your results were so contrary to the previous decade, would you consider 2023 a fluke, or a new above average period emerging?

Hard to say. I could probably argue either way. I remember during the early COVID times that I thought there would be a lot of older people passing away soon. Add 6-12 months after that for the estate settlement process and I figured that would be a time when lots of coins would be turned into banks. Add to that the fact that crypto gets lots of attention and that too causes coins to be pushed to the back burner. But it never fully materialized like I thought.

You're a vulture capitalist!

[Saabman]

Great results!

[CLINT-THE-GREAT]

I'm so mad I didn't do this when I had the time and possibly potential better results 15 years ago. I always said I was going to, but just didn't