Franklin Half Dollar
The Franklin Half Dollar was issued from 1948 to 1963. The coin features Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. The series followed the highly popular Liberty Walking Half series and was cut short by the release of the Kennedy Half Dollar. Placed between these two notable series, Franklin Halves are sometimes overlooked. However, the Franklin Half offers coin collectors many highlights and challenges.
In a way, the introduction of the Franklin Half Dollar represented the end of an era. It was the last circulation coin design to switch from a design of the allegorical Liberty figure to the portrait of an actual person. The circulating coin designs of the era included the Lincoln Cent, Jefferson Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, and Washington Quarter, all portraying historical American figures on the obverse.
The Franklin Half was designed by John R. Sinnock, the Chief Sculptor-Engraver of the US Mint. The obverse portrait of Franklin is modeled after a bust by 18th century sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. The obverse inscriptions include "Liberty" above, "In God We Trust" below, and the date to Franklin's right.
The reverse of the coin features an image of the Liberty Bell, patterned after Sinnock's design for the 1926 Sesquicentennial Commemorative Half Dollar. Subsequent credit was given to artist John Frederick Lewis since Sinnock modeled the design after one of his sketches. The reverse also includes a diminutive image of an eagle. The eagle was required to be placed on the reverse of the half dollar by law. Reverse inscriptions include "United States of America", "E Pluribum Unum", and "Half Dollar". The mint mark, when present, is placed above the Liberty Bell.
Like the other coins of its era, the Franklin Half had a composition of 90% silver. The balance of the composition was copper. Each coin has a weight of 12.50 grams, diameter of 30.6 mm, and a reeded edge.
The Franklin Half series ended in 1963 following the assassination of President Kennedy. Under existing law, the series was required to have a duration of at least 25 years before it was eligible for change. A bill was rushed through Congress at the end of 1963 to overrule the existing law and memorialize Kennedy on the Half Dollar coin starting in 1964.
