Franklin half dollar

Infobox Coin
Country = United States
Denomination = Franklin Half Dollar
Value = 0.50
Unit = U.S. dollars
Mass = 12.50
Diameter = 30.6
Thickness = 2.15
Edge = reeded
Composition = 90% Ag
10% Cu
Years of Minting = 1948–1963
Catalog Number = -
Obverse = Franklin_HalfObverse.png Obverse Design = Benjamin Franklin
Obverse Designer = John R. Sinnock
Obverse Design Date = 1948
Reverse = Franklin_HalfReverse.png Reverse Design = Liberty Bell
Reverse Designer = John R. Sinnock
Reverse Design Date = 1948

The "Franklin Half" 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.Coins: Questions and Answers, 1964 edition, Krause Publications] 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 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.

Mintage figures

"Note:" Numbers in parentheses represent coins which were distributed in proof sets.

References

External links

* [http://www.coincommunity.com/us_coin_links/us_halves_franklin.asp US Franklin Half Dollar by year.] Histories, photos, and more.
* [http://www.coinpage.com/franklin%20half-pictures.html Franklin Half Dollar Pictures]