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Franklin Half Dollar |
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1948 - 1963
In 1948, World War II had given way to an
uneasy peace-a "Cold War," as presidential adviser Bernard
Baruch so aptly named the new climate of international
tension. The year also witnessed the death of baseball legend
Babe Ruth, the birth of the State of Israel and, with his
presidential election upset of Thomas E. Dewey, a new lease on
life in the White House for Harry S Truman.
In 1948, an important change took place in United States
coinage as well, when the Franklin half dollar made its debut.
Its introduction completed the conversion of U.S. coin designs
from allegorical figures to portraits of famous Americans. It
also rang down the curtain on an era that many regard as the
golden age of U. S. coinage art. The Walking Liberty half
dollar, last struck in 1947, was the final precious-metal coin
remaining in production from the early 20th-century period
that spawned the "Mercury" dime, Standing Liberty quarter and
Saint-Gaudens double eagle.
Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross had contemplated a coin
honoring Benjamin Franklin ever since seeing a U.S. Mint medal
prepared in Franklin's honor in 1933 by John R. Sinnock, the
Mint's chief sculptor-engraver. Evidence suggests that Ross
might have made the change in the early 1940s, when the half
dollar's design, used for the statutory minimum of 25 years,
became eligible for replacement. Although escalating
production demands occasioned by World War II postponed Ross'
plans, she showed her enthusiasm for the project by directing
Sinnock to design a Franklin coin on a contingency basis. It
would be hard to fault Director Ross for her choice of Ben
Franklin as a U.S. coinage subject. Of all the Founding
Fathers, Franklin very likely enjoyed the greatest stature
among his contemporaries, not only in this country but also
abroad. He was justly renowned as a printer, publisher,
author, inventor, scientist and diplomat, and he played a
pivotal role in helping the colonies gain their independence
by securing vital aid from France.
In a speech at the unveiling of the Franklin half dollar, Ross
recalled that people had urged her to place Franklin's
portrait on the cent because he was identified so closely with
the maxim "A penny saved is twopence clear" (often misquoted
as "A penny saved is a penny earned"). Ross explained her
choice of the half dollar: "You will agree, I believe, that
the fifty-cent piece, being larger and of silver, lends itself
much better to the production of an impressive effect," she
declared.
Sinnock's portrait of Franklin, modeled after a bust by
18th-century sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, is bold and clean,
contrasting sharply with the subtle, detailed depiction of
Miss Liberty on the Walking Liberty coin it replaced. LIBERTY
is inscribed above the right-facing portrait, IN GOD WE TRUST
below and the date to Franklin's right. Tucked below
Franklin's shoulder are Sinnock's initials, JRS.
The Liberty Bell on the reverse made sense as a complement to
Franklin, since both have become closely identified not only
with the nation's birth but also with the city of
Philadelphia. Three inscriptions are arranged around the bell
in the same sans serif style used on the obverse: UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA is above, HALF DOLLAR below and E PLURIBUS
UNUM, in much smaller letters, to the left. To the right of
the bell is a puny-looking eagle. This had been required by
law on the half dollar since 1792 and was reaffirmed by the
Coinage Act of 1873, which mandated the placement of an eagle
on every U.S. silver coin larger than the dime. The eagle was
added by Gilroy Roberts, who completed work on the coin
following Sinnock's death in 1947.
Understandably, the federal Commission of Fine Arts (an
advisory body) took issue with the eagle's size. Oddly enough,
they also disapproved of displaying the crack in the Liberty
Bell, arguing that "to show this might lead to puns and to
statements derogatory to United States coinage." Although the
Commission recommended a design competition, the Treasury
Department approved Sinnock's models without change.
Years later, Sinnock was accused of modeling his version of
the Liberty Bell, without proper credit, on a sketch by artist
John Frederick Lewis. The pilfering first occurred in 1926,
when Sinnock apparently used the sketch in fashioning his
design for the commemorative half dollar marking the
sesquicentennial of U.S. independence. His Franklin half
dollar reverse design was patterned, in turn, on that earlier
work. Numismatic reference books now credit Lewis belatedly
for his role.
Although Franklin half dollar mintages were modest by
modern-day standards, the series contains no issues that are
particularly rare. The production low point came in 1953, when
the Philadelphia Mint struck just under 2.8 million examples;
the peak occurred in 1963, when the Denver Mint made just over
67 million. Franklin halves also were minted in San Francisco.
On branch-mint issues, the D or S mintmark appears above the
bell on the reverse. Total mintage for the series, including
proofs, was almost 498 million coins.
Because they are so plentiful, in circulated condition most
Franklin halves bring little or no premium above their bullion
value. A number of dates are elusive, however, in the higher
mint-state grades, especially with fully defined "bell lines"
near the Liberty Bell's bottom. Although the relatively low
mintage 1949-D and 1950-D issues are considered "key" dates in
the series, some coins with higher mintages, while common in
lower grades, also command impressive premiums in Mint
State-65 and above. These coins routinely came with weak
strikes, and the scarcity of "gems" is compounded by the fact
that few were carefully saved. Dates in this category include
1960-D, 1961-P and D and 1962-P and D. Proofs were issued
every year from 1950 through 1963 as part of annual proof
sets: over 15.8 million were made. Small numbers of proofs
were struck with cameo contrast, an attractive frosted surface
on the devices contrasted with a polished mirror-like
appearance in the fields. These cameo coins can bring
substantial premiums over the prices of ordinary proofs
without such contrast.
A full set of Franklin halves consists of 35 different
business strikes and 14 different proofs. Because it is so
compact and easily affordable in less-than-pristine grades,
the series is widely collected by date and mint. Those with
deeper pockets who love a challenge seek to assemble
date-and-mint sets in MS-65 and above or collections of
high-grade proof Franklins with deep cameo contrast. Points on
the design to first show wear are Franklin's cheek, shoulder
and hair behind the ear and the lettering and lines on the
Liberty Bell.
Franklin half dollars were made for just 16 years. The series
was cut short at the end of 1963, when John F. Kennedy's
shocking assassination led to the creation of a new half
dollar memorializing the martyred president.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Diameter: 30.6 millimeters
Weight: 12.50 grams
composition: .900 silver, .100 copper
Edge: Reeded
Net weight: .36169 ounce pure silver
1948-D Franklin Half Dollar
1952 Franklin Half Dollar MS
1952-D Franklin Half Dollar AU
1949 Franklin Half Dollar VF
1949 Franklin Half Dollar XF
1949-S Franklin Half Dollar F
1949-S Franklin Half Dollar VF
1949-S Franklin Half Dollar XF
1955 Franklin Half Dollar F
3 FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR US 1953,1954,1963 $1 NO RSV
1957 D Franklin Liberty Silver Half Dollar US NR
20 Franklin Half Dollars NICE! 1952-1963 Mixed L@@K
1954 Franklin Liberty Silver Half Dollar US NR
1959 Franklin Liberty Silver Half Dollar US NR
Roll of 1955 Franklin Half Dollars - BU
1949 S FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR (KEY)
40 BEN FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR SILVER COINS!
Franklin Half Dollars 1952-1962 Lot of 6
1963 NGC PROOF 67 CAMEO FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR ID#G804
1948 to 1963 Franklin Half Dollar Collection
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