Franklin half dollar
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| Franklin Half Dollar (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Value: | 0.50 U.S. dollars |
| Mass: | 12.50 g |
| Diameter: | 30.6 mm |
| Thickness: | ? mm |
| Edge: | reeded |
| Composition: | 90% Ag 10% Cu |
| Years of Minting: | 1948–1963 |
| Catalog Number: | - |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design: | Benjamin Franklin |
| Designer: | John R. Sinnock |
| Design Date: | 1948 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design: | Liberty Bell |
| Designer: | John R. Sinnock |
| Design Date: | 1948 |
The Franklin half dollar is a coin of the United States, minted from 1948 to 1963. The coin pictured Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. A small eagle to the right of the bell was necessitated by law; ironically, Franklin himself had opposed the selection of the eagle as the US national symbol, preferring the turkey as a "more noble bird". A bill rushed through Congress after the assassination of John F. Kennedy caused the Franklin half to be replaced by the current Kennedy half dollar in February 1964, nine years before the design would otherwise have been eligible for a change.
Approximately 510 million Franklin halves were minted during the period 1948 to 1963. Coins without a mintmark were minted in Philadelphia, whereas those with a "D" were minted in Denver and with an "S" in San Francisco. The mintmark on specimens having one is visible on the reverse side centered above the bell yoke. As he did on the dime, John Sinnock placed his initials on the half dollar, where the anti-Communist party claimed that they were those of Joseph Stalin and they were put there as a signal to Communists worldwide.
Large quantities of the Franklin half dollar were melted as silver bullion shortly after 1964, when the intrinsic value exceeded the face value of U.S. silver coinage. Despite these losses, Franklin halves in gently circulated condition remain quite affordable even today, and the more common dates do not command more than a 25 percent premium over bullion. The exception is for well-struck pieces showing full bell lines in the Liberty Bell design on the coin's reverse.
The one notable error in the series of the Franklin half dollar is the "Bugs Bunny" error, so called because damage to the coin's obverse die resulted in a split in Franklin's upper lip, giving the appearance of prominent front teeth. The damage to the die resulted from the obverse and reverse dies striking each other without a coin planchet in between. The error is found in 1955 coins minted in Philadelphia. There is also a 1961-P Proof doubled die.
[edit] Mintage figures
| Year | Philadelphia Mint | Denver Mint | San Francisco Mint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 3,006,814 | 4,028,600 | |
| 1949 | 5,614,000 | 4,120,600 | 3,744,000 |
| 1950 | 7,793,509 (51,386) | 8,031,600 | |
| 1951 | 16,859,602 (57,500) | 9,475,200 | |
| 1952 | 13,696,000 | ||
| 1953 | 2,796,820 (128,800) | 20,900,400 | 4,148,000 |
| 1954 | 13,421,503 (233,300) | 25,445,580 | 4,993,400 |
| 1955 | 2,876,381 (378,200) | ||
| 1956 | 4,701,384 (669,384) | ||
| 1957 | 6,361,952 (1,247,952) | 19,966,850 | |
| 1958 | 4,917,652 | 23,962,412 | |
| 1959 | 7,349,291 (1,149,291) | 13,053,750 | |
| 1960 | 7,715,602 (1,691,602) | 18,215,812 | |
| 1961 | 11,318,244 (3,028,244) | 20,276,442 | |
| 1962 | 12,932,019 (3,218,019) | 35,473,281 | |
| 1963 | 25,239,645 (3,075,645) | 67,069,292 |
Note: Numbers in parentheses represent coins which were distributed in mint sets.
[edit] External links
- US Franklin Half Dollar by year. Histories, photos, and more.
- Franklin Half Dollar Pictures
| Preceded by Walking Liberty Half Dollar |
Half Dollar Coin of the United States (1948-1963) | Succeeded by Kennedy Half Dollar |
