Yo
Can Kennedy coins become soft?
If yes, how do I do it?

I was curious about this same thing until I handled some Barber and Walking Liberty Halves that a friend had. I think even if you got the faces flat, the clad coins would not handle the same as the older silver coins. They just felt different.

If you'd like to try it, I read a suggestion somewhere that you use a whetting stone (a sharpening type stone) and rub the coin on the stone in a figure 8 motion. I guess if you just rub it back and forth in a line, one side of the face of the coin will be higher then the other versus a more flat surface with a figure 8.

If you try this, let me know how it works out...

Why do you want to know this? It just seems a little odd.

I've had quite a few Kennedy Half Dollars and not one of them have become soft. I've never seen any American coins become soft though.

Because I'm practicing on some routines that require the coins to not make a sound when they touch and that's impossible to do with the half dollars I have...

You'll probably have to convert to Walking Liberty's or other, all silver coins. The clad construction and deep pattern of the Kennedy's don't allow for much "softening" over time.

Man, you like know everything!

Try the Coin Shops in your area, sometimes they have buckets of old worn Coins you can rummage through.

I've checked some coin shops and none of them had any coin thats I could buy...

Ebay sometimes has a good deals on coins. Half dollars won't work for what you want though. I think, like Dave said, Walking Liberty's would work. They can be a little expensive, but worth it in the end.

Thats how I get my silver halves, and walking liberties. I buy some of the really beat up ones cheap, and I use a buffing wheel on a bench grinder to polish them. In about three minutes, I have an old beat up coin looking beautiful !

There is no way for coins not to make a sound. I have been collecting coins for about as long as I have been doing magic, so yeah. You need to improve your slight of hand. No matter how warn a coin is it will still make sound.

If you try to soften clad coins, you'll have two-toned halves. That's providing that you have a device that will wear them down to start with.

I think the problem with Kennedy Halves is that they weren't circulated enough to show much wear.
Merchants and Retailers rarely gave them out as change to put them back into recirculation ... for the most part they were hoarded and sent back to the banks.

Amen, Brother Frijid ! I did just that and got myself 4 very nice Morgan Dollar coins, just smooth enough yet with plenty of detail, for $12.50 each.

Excellent, glad to hear it ... told ya so.