1955

Only 2,498,181 Franklin half dollars left Philadelphia in 1955, the smallest business-strike mintage of the entire sixteen-year series and the only year the denomination was struck at just one facility, since San Francisco had ended Franklin production after 1954 and Denver coined no halves dated 1955. That single-mint year status alone would make the 1955 a key date in any series, but the issue carries a second layer of collector interest that has driven its visibility well beyond the mintage figure.

That second layer is the celebrated "Bugs Bunny" variety, attributed FS-401 in the Cherrypickers' Guide, created when a reverse die clashed against the obverse without a planchet between them. The eagle's wing tips on the reverse impressed into the obverse die at Franklin's upper lip, leaving a raised spike on subsequent strikes that resembles a protruding buck tooth. The variety was discovered shortly after release and remains one of the most popular twentieth-century die clash errors. Authentication of a genuine Bugs Bunny piece centers on three diagnostics: the spike must be a raised die feature rather than a contact mark or tooled addition, the planchet must hold the 12.50 gram standard for 90 percent silver, and Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) attribution on the holder confirms the FS-401 designation. More than 2,500 Bugs Bunny examples have been certified by PCGS, so while not rare in absolute terms, the variety carries a meaningful premium over the standard 1955.

For collectors the 1955 is a date that satisfies two collecting motivations at once: low mintage scarcity for the series-set builder and famous-variety appeal for the error specialist. Full Bell Lines (FBL) examples of both the standard and Bugs Bunny strikes are available with patience, and FBL Bugs Bunny pieces command particular interest at registry-level grades. To place the 1955 within the larger Franklin program and its key dates, see the Franklin Half Dollar series history.