What Are Half-Dollar Coins?

The Franklin half dollar was a coin minted by the U.S. Mint between 1948 and 1963 with a denomination of 50 cents. The obverse was the profile picture of the founding father Benjamin Franklin and the reverse was the Liberty Bell. According to the law, a small eagle is also engraved on the right side of the Liberty Bell on the reverse side. Ninety percent of the coins are silver and 10% are copper, with jagged edges on the edges. The Philadelphia Mint, the Denver Mint, and the San Francisco Mint all have mints.

Franklin half dollar

On January 7, 1948, the Ministry of Finance announced a new half-dollar design in a press release. The report did not mention the opposition of the Fine Arts Commission, but stated that the new design originated from Ross's idea and received "a warm approval" from Treasury Secretary Snyder. The press release also mentioned Franklin's reputation for diligence and diligence, hoping that these half-dollars would serve as a reminder that people should use spare money to buy government bonds and savings stamps. In this way, Franklin became the fifth person in history to be commemorated by conventionally issued U.S. coins, and the first person to have never served as president. The other four were Lincoln, Roosevelt, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.

The number of Franklin half-dollars minted in the first few years was relatively small because the previously issued half-dollar of the Statue of Liberty Walking was too much. Because of limited demand, the Denver Mint did not mint Franklin half-dollar coins from 1955 to 1956. The San Francisco Mint closed in 1955 and did not resume construction until 1965. In 1957, the economic environment of the United States had improved, and the demand for coins had increased accordingly. Beginning in 1962, the amount of Franklin's half-dollar minting began to increase significantly, and the increase in demand was accompanied by the beginning of a coin shortage. This situation will reach a climax in the 1964 coin shortage. Today, Franklin's half-dollar is not uncommon, and even early-year coins with a small amount of coins are well owned. The Philadelphia Mint has been minting refined coins since 1950. Among them, "relief refined coins" use matte surfaces, and the blank space of the coins is as smooth as a mirror. The amount of such refined coins is small, and purchasers need to pay extra fees. Including refined coins, the total minted amount of Franklin's half-dollar coins is slightly less than 498 million.

Considering the different minting years or mint signs, there are 35 different facets of the Franklin half-dollar coin. This number is relatively small in the coin collection world, so the cost of collection is relatively low. The 1955 version of "My Bugs Bunny" half-dollar is a relatively well-known version. The version of Franklin's head on the front of the coin looks like the incisors protrude outward. Some people think it is similar to the rabbit's fangs. Bugs Bunny". This version appeared mainly due to the collision between the front metal mold and the back mold of the coin. In the late 1950s, the quality of half-dollar coins minted by the Mint declined, which was again caused by the deterioration of the main mold used for minting.

Franklin Half Dollar Coin Quality

In order to improve the quality of the coin, the Mint intends to fine-tune its design so that new and old versions of the half-dollar coin were minted in 1958 and 1959. One significant difference between the two is that the eagle tail on the back of the old coin has 4 feathers, while the new version has only 3 feathers. About 20% of the Franklin half-dollar coins minted by the Philadelphia Mint in 1958 were new, and the molds used were originally used to mint the 1958 refined coin. The new half-dollar coin minted by the Philadelphia Mint in 1959 has risen to 70%, and all Franklin half-dollar minted by the Denver Mint in 1958 and 1959 are old versions. Before the minting work began in 1960, the Mint Bureau re-cut the minting master mold to improve the quality of the coins.

It is said that there is a particularly well-crafted Franklin half-dollar with a complete line on the back of the Liberty Bell. To achieve this effect, the seven parallel lines that make up the bottom of the clock must be clear and complete, and the three strands of hair next to Franklin's right ear on the front of the coin must be fully displayed and cannot be combined. If the coins are not tightly packed, causing the coins to become loose and constantly rubbing against each other, the steel gray surface of the coins will be scratched. Such scratches are generally most common on the front of Franklin's cheek and on the center of the free bell on the back.

Many people melted Franklin's half-dollar coins in order to obtain silver, and many years of minting coins were far less than the amount of coins. Take the 1962 version as an example. This year, there were more than 9 million coins in circulation and 3 million refined coins. However, even during the period from 1979 to 1980, when the price of silver reached a record high, the value of this coin was still better than any finesse. The same quality silver bar is higher. In 2010, the fineness of MS-65 grade coins in the Shelton coin grading standard cost about $ 145, second only to the same fineness coin minted by the San Francisco Mint in 1953. The price of this kind of coin reached 1850. US dollars.

Franklin Half Dollar Foundry

Casting amount

years	Philadelphia Mint	Denver mint	San Francisco Mint
1948	3,006,814	4,028,500
1949	5,614,000	4,120,500	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