RE: Dollar vs Half Dollar?

While I have some numismatic Canadian coins I keep for the sake of collecting I have other silver coins I treat as fractional silver coinage for emergency commerce. I have a 1935 Uncirculated King George silver dollar left to me by my father I will keep and pass on to my children, At the same time I have a handful of 1939 Parliament silver dollars I can choose to spend or trade. The silver dollars may be slightly more accepted as emergency currency over the half dollar since the half dollar has hardly circulated for decades, even the nickel half rarely circulates. For a test I've tried to spend a 1984 half dollar to more times than not refused payment. The point I'm making is ...recognizability.