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Franklin Half Dollars

John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin half dollar, and the coin has always lived in the shadow of what came before and after it. Sinnock had been Chief Engraver since 1925, and his other major contribution to circulating coinage was the Roosevelt dime. The Franklin half dollar showed Benjamin Franklin's profile facing right on the obverse, based on the Houdon bust, with LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST flanking the portrait. The reverse depicted the Liberty Bell with a small eagle tucked in at the right, a compositional choice that satisfied the legal requirement for an eagle on silver coins of this size but did not exactly showcase it. The eagle looks like an afterthought because it was one. Sinnock wanted the Liberty Bell to dominate the reverse, and the eagle was added only because the law required it.

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1948–1963 Years struck
51 Date / variety entries
Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco Mints

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Key date Semi-key Variety Proof Regular
Date Variety Mintage Price Guide Estimates Classification CK #
G VG F VF EF AU MS
1948 — 3,006,814 $24$25$24$25$26$29$31 SEMI-KEY CK-4155
1948-D — 4,028,600 $24$25$24$25$26$29$31 REGULAR CK-4156
1949 — 5,614,000 $24$25$24$26$29$39$47 REGULAR CK-4157
1949-D — 4,120,600 $24$25$24$26$29$40$51 REGULAR CK-4158
1949-S — 3,744,000 $24$25$24$26$32$59$81 SEMI-KEY CK-4159
1950 — 7,793,509 $24$25$24$25$26$32$39 REGULAR CK-4161
1950-D — 8,031,600 $24$25$24$25$26$31$36 REGULAR CK-4162
1951 — 16,859,602 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4163
1951-D — 9,475,200 $24$25$24$25$26$34$42 REGULAR CK-4165
1951-S — 13,696,000 $24$25$24$25$26$30$34 REGULAR CK-4166
1952 — 21,274,073 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4168
1952-D — 25,395,600 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4169
1952-S — 5,526,000 $24$25$24$27$29$39$54 REGULAR CK-4170
1953 — 2,796,920 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4172
1953-D — 20,900,400 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4173
1953-S — 4,148,000 $24$25$24$25$27$31$34 SEMI-KEY CK-4174
1954 — 13,421,503 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4176
1954-D — 25,445,580 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4177
1954-S — 4,993,400 $24$25$24$26$27$28$27 REGULAR CK-4178
1955 — 2,498,181 $25$27$29$31$33$34$35 SEMI-KEY CK-4179
1956 — 4,032,000 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4181
1957 — 6,361,952 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4185
1957-D — 19,966,850 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4186
1958 — 4,917,652 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4188
1958-D — 23,962,412 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4189
1959 — 7,349,291 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4190
1959-D — 13,053,750 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4192
1960 — 7,715,602 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4193
1960-D — 18,215,812 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4195
1961 — 11,318,244 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4197
1961-D — 20,276,442 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4199
1962 — 12,932,019 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4201
1962-D — 35,473,281 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4202
1963 — 25,239,645 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4203
1963-D — 67,069,292 $24$25$24$25$26$27$28 REGULAR CK-4205
1948 1948-D 1949 1949-D 1949-S 1950 1950-D 1951 1951-D 1951-S 1952 1952-D 1952-S 1953 1953-D 1953-S 1954 1954-D 1954-S 1955 1956 1957 1957-D 1958 1958-D 1959 1959-D 1960 1960-D 1961 1961-D 1962 1962-D 1963 1963-D
Date Variety Mintage Price Guide Estimates Classification CK #
G (PR) VG (PR) F (PR) VF (PR) EF (PR) AU (PR) MS (PR)
1950 — 51,386 ——————— REGULAR CK-4160
1951 — 57,500 ——————— REGULAR CK-4164
1952 — 81,980 ——————— REGULAR CK-4167
1953 — 128,800 ——————— REGULAR CK-4171
1954 — 233,300 ——————— REGULAR CK-4175
1955 — 378,200 ——————— REGULAR CK-4180
1956 Type 1 669,384 ——————— REGULAR CK-4182
1956 Type 2 669,384 ——————— REGULAR CK-4183
1957 — 1,247,952 ——————— REGULAR CK-4184
1958 — 875,652 ——————— REGULAR CK-4187
1959 — 1,149,291 ——————— REGULAR CK-4191
1960 — 1,691,602 ——————— REGULAR CK-4194
1961 — 3,028,244 ——————— REGULAR CK-4196
1961 Doubled Die Reverse — ——————— VARIETY CK-4198
1962 — 3,218,019 ——————— REGULAR CK-4200
1963 — 3,075,645 ——————— REGULAR CK-4204
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Type 1 1956 Type 2 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1961 Doubled Die Reverse 1962 1963