INDEX
A Franklin Half Dollar contains 0.3617 troy oz of silver — about $24.63 at today's silver price.
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
About This Series
John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin half dollar, and it ran for just 16 years - from 1948 until Kennedy's assassination prompted a memorial coin in 1964. The reverse features the Liberty Bell and a small eagle required by law on half dollars; that small eagle is one of the more awkward design compromises in US coinage history. Collectors grade these heavily on "Full Bell Lines" (FBL), with well-struck examples commanding strong premiums. The 1949-S is the key date by mintage; the 1955 is scarce too. Generally a short, affordable series for type collectors and a challenging one in FBL.
Specifications
1948–1963
- Composition
- 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Fineness
- 90.0%
- Weight
- 12.50 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
- ASW
- 0.3617 oz
- Years Produced
- 1948–1963
Melt Value
Based on silver spot price of $68.09/oz
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
Mintage by year and mint
“Low mintage” marks a year at or below 10% of the median business-strike mintage for its own denomination; “Scarce for the series” marks one above 10% and at or below 25%. The median here is 8,160,800. That is a statement about how many were struck, not about how many survive or what collectors pay.
Show all 35 issues, 1948–1963
| Year | Mint | Business strikes | Proof | Relative mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Denver | 4,028,600 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1948 | Philadelphia | 3,006,814 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1949 | Denver | 4,120,600 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1949 | Philadelphia | 5,614,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1949 | San Francisco | 3,744,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1950 | Denver | 8,031,600 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1950 | Philadelphia | 7,742,123 | 51,386 | |
| 1951 | Denver | 9,475,200 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1951 | Philadelphia | 16,802,102 | 57,500 | |
| 1951 | San Francisco | 13,696,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1952 | Denver | 25,395,600 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1952 | Philadelphia | 21,192,093 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1952 | San Francisco | 5,526,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1953 | Denver | 20,900,400 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1953 | Philadelphia | 2,668,120 | 128,800 | |
| 1953 | San Francisco | 4,148,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1954 | Denver | 25,445,580 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1954 | Philadelphia | 13,188,202 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1954 | San Francisco | 4,993,400 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1955 | Philadelphia | 2,498,181 | 378,200 | |
| 1956 | Philadelphia | 4,032,000 | 669,384 | |
| 1957 | Denver | 19,966,850 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1957 | Philadelphia | 5,114,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1958 | Denver | 23,962,412 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1958 | Philadelphia | 4,042,000 | 875,652 | |
| 1959 | Denver | 13,053,750 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1959 | Philadelphia | 6,200,000 | 1,149,291 | |
| 1960 | Denver | 18,215,812 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1960 | Philadelphia | 6,024,000 | 1,691,602 | |
| 1961 | Denver | 20,276,442 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1961 | Philadelphia | 8,290,000 | 3,028,244 | |
| 1962 | Denver | 35,473,281 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1962 | Philadelphia | 9,714,000 | 3,218,019 | |
| 1963 | Denver | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1963 | Philadelphia | 22,164,000 | 3,075,645 | |
| Mintages as published by NGC Coin Explorer, 2026-03 snapshot. Covers 1948–1963. NGC Coin Explorer does not list every date and mint, so this is what it publishes rather than a complete census. A further 5 listings it does publish are omitted here because NGC Coin Explorer records no single striking mint for them. | ||||