Half dollar explained

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.

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

Currently minted

Circulating half dollars by country
Country(s) / City	Unit of currency	Technical parameters				Description			Date of first minting
Country(s) / City	Unit of currency	Diameter	Thickness	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Date of first minting
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	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

Former half dollars by country
Country(s) / City	Unit of currency	Technical parameters				Description			Introduced	Withdrawn
Country(s) / City	Unit of currency	Diameter	Thickness	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Introduced	Withdrawn
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	HD	N/A	N/A	N/A	90% silver 10% copper	N/A	King Kalākaua	Value	1883	1900
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 40% silver 60% copper	N/A	White Rajahs	N/A	1858	1953
Taiwan	TWD	18 mm	N/A	3.0 g	97% copper 2.5% zinc 0.5% tin	N/A	Mei Blossom	Value	1981^[6]
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 and References

Web site: New Currency Designs. Fiji Times. 2012-12-13 . 2013-07-09.
Web site: New coins of the Solomon Islands. mas.gov.sg. January 30, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150224111401/http://www.mas.gov.sg/NewCoins/Coin-Details/Fifty-Cent. February 24, 2015.
Web site: Kennedy Half Dollar. www.virmu.com. January 31, 2015.
Web site: Calling in of the One Dollar Note and the Fifty Cent Circulation Coin . 30 March 1990 . Laws of Bermuda . GN 200/1990 . PDF . Government of Bermuda . 9 August 2012 . 18 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150118085231/http://www.bermudalaws.bm/Laws/Consolidated%20Laws/Calling%20in%20of%20the%20One%20Dollar%20Note%20and%20the%20Fifty%20Cent%20Circulation%20Coin.pdf . dead .
Web site: 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.
Web site: 中央銀行發行之貨幣及偵偽鈔辨識.