Benjamin Franklin Half Dollar

The “Franklin Half”, Ben Franklin half dollar is a U.S. half dollar coin minted from 1948 to 1963. The coin pictures Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. 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. A small eagle was placed to the right of the bell to fulfill the legal requirement that half dollars depict the figure of an eagle. Approximately 510 million Franklin halves were minted during the period 1948 to 1963. Produced in 90 percent silver with a reeded edge, the coin was struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. Coins without a mintmark were minted in Philadelphia, whereas those with a “D” were minted in Denver and with an “S” in San Francisco.