Half-Dollar Coin | Year of Birth

All birthdays are special and when you turn 75 – WOW – the things that have been witnessed, experienced and changed through the years deserves celebration!

A half-dollar coin from the year of someone’s birth year or wedding year makes a unique and memorable gift.

Dick was born in 1939. That was the year of the largest world fair in New York. The theme was the “World of Tomorrow” where futuristic inventions were on displayed like robots and automatic dishwashers. President Roosevelt spoke on a television welcoming the attendees to the world’s fair.

WWII began in 1939, the average price of a car was $700, classic movies were The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. A gallon of gas was 10 cents and the average yearly wage was $1,730.00

The 1940s, the Greatest Generation, created things like Duct tape, Jeep, color TV, Penicillin, Silly Putty, Atomic Bomb, Slinky, Tupperware, Microwave, Velcro and Lego.

The 1950s, a time of peace brought us the first credit card, first patent for bar code, super glue and power steering. Mr. Potato Head and the Barbie doll became mainstay. Texas Instruments invented the transistor radio and Ray Kroc started McDonald’s.

The 1960s were remembered for Woodstock/Rock-n-Roll and “One Giant Leap for Mankind” – first man on the moon.  Inventions included the artificial heart, hand-held calculator, audio cassette tapes, ATM, and Kevlar.

The 1970s introduced the VCR, Post-It Notes, Pong – first ever video game, Roller Blades, laser printer, Hackey Sack, Walk-Man Radio, digital camera and Rubik’s cube.

The 1980s had President Ronald Reagan and the Yuppies! It was a time of new inventions on old ideas such as a permanent artificial heart – Jarvik-7, the Space Shuttle, and Compact Discs.  Apple launched the Macintosh personal computer.

The 1990s belong to the Millennials. The World Wide Web & Internet, DVDs, Beanie Babies, Ebay, Google, Nintendo 64, MTV, BlackBerry, and the Bluetooth were invented.

The 2000s gave us surgical robots, YouTube, E-Readers, Skype, iPad, iPod, iPhone, and electronic eye for the blind.

For 75 years, Dick’s “World of Tomorrow” exploded with innovations and ideas that have made our lives better. I decided for his birthday to give him something from yesterday. A half-dollar coin from 1939, the year of his birth.

Dick gets ready to pop a balloon to open his birthday gift.

The coin dealer suggested a plastic holder and stand so it could be handled and viewed at any time. I wrapped the coin and stand in a balloon and had Dick pop it. He was surprised to find a Liberty half-dollar coin (with an Eagle on the back) of his birth year.

He also wondered how did I get the coin and stand with pointed edges in the balloon. Click here for our tutorial video.

Coins are a unique gift idea for anniversaries too. Find a coin or several different coins such as a penny, nickel, dime, quarter and half-dollar displayed together in a coin holder of the year of the marriage. It is guaranteed to be a one of a kind gift.