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:	2.15 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. Engraver John R. Sinnock's initials appear at Franklin's shoulder on the obverse.

Sinnock's initials inadvertently reflected the tensions of the times. Sinnock had also designed the Roosevelt dime, released two years earlier, placing his initials "JS" on the obverse. In the tense climate of the Cold War, a rumor spread that these initials stood for Joseph Stalin, placed there by a Soviet agent in the mint.^[1] Perhaps to avoid further controversy, Sinnock used his full initials "JRS" on the half. (Stalin's middle name was Vissarionovich.)

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. {As of this notation in September of 2007, common date circulated 90% silver coins are valued at 9-10 times face value}. Well-struck uncirculated pieces showing full bell lines in the Liberty Bell design on the coin's reverse command a substantial premium.

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	13,696,000
1952	21,274,073 (81,980)	25,395,600	5,526,000
1953	2,796,820 (128,800)	20,900,400	4,148,000
1954	13,421,502 (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 (875,652)	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