Franklin Half Dollars (1948-1963)

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Franklin Half Dollars (1948-1963)

Franklin Half Dollars were produced during a period in which the popularity of this denomination as a circulating coin was in decline. This fact, combined with the enormous production of Walking Liberty Halves 1941-45, led to relatively small mintages for most issues of Franklin Half Dollars, particularly those of the Philadelphia Mint. Were it not for the saving of uncirculated rolls of Franklin Half Dolars by speculators, a practice firmly established at the time, there would likely be a few scarce issues. As it is, Franklin Half Dollars are quite common, though a number of condition rarities have emerged. This is particularly true of pieces having sharply defined horizontal lines on the Liberty Bell.

There are a number of interesting Franklin Half Dollar die varieties for both the currency pieces and the proofs. The best of the Franklin varieties are included in VarietyPlus, and this encompasses most Cherrypicker varieties. Perhaps the most desired of these is the 1961 proof half dollar with doubled-die reverse, a mistake so obvious that it seems inexcusable on proof coins (though collectors aren't complaining about it). Tomaska's book includes a number of additional Franklin Half Dollar mintmark and die varieties that will be of interest to the specialist.

Access to the Franklin Half Dollar die and mintmark varieties pages you see below is part of NGC Collectors Society membership. These detailed pages contain population information as well as NGC database images for available Franklin half dollar mintmark and die varieties.

NGC also provides information on other half dollar varieties:

Early Half Dollar Varieties (1794-1839) | Seated Liberty Half Dollar Varieties (1839-1891) | Barber Half Dollar Varieties (1892-1915) | Walking Liberty Half Dollar Varieties (1916-1947) | Kennedy Half Dollars (1964-Date)

References:

• Tomaska, Rick. The Complete Guide to Franklin Half Dollars, 2nd Edition. Virginia Beach, VA: DLRC Press, 2002.
• Fivaz, Bill & J.T. Stanton, Ken Potter, Editor. The Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties, 5th Edition, Volume 2. Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2012.
• Flynn, Kevin. The Authoritative Reference on Franklin Half Dollars. Roswell, GA: Kyle Vick, 2012.