Franklin Silver Half Dollar Mint Mark Collection

The Franklin Silver Half Dollar was struck from 1948 until 1963, when it was suddenly replaced with the Kennedy Half Dollar in memory of President John F. Kennedy. During its short mintage, this exceptional coin was struck at three U.S. Mints – Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco – and this collection includes one historic coin from each U.S. Mint.

The obverse of the Franklin Silver Half Dollar features colonial patriot and inventor Benjamin Franklin.  He was the first real person other than a President to appear on a circulating U.S. coin.  Among his many achievements, Franklin was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The reverse of the coin shows the Liberty Bell.  According to tradition, this bell was rung to announce the Declaration of Independence to the people of Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.  There is a very small eagle to the right of the bell.  By law, this coin had to show an eagle as the symbol of the United States – but Franklin thought the wild turkey should be the national bird, so out of respect for him the eagle was made very small!

The Franklin Silver Half Dollar was the last coin series made entirely in .900 pure silver.  As a result, each coin in this collection is a rarely-seen silver issue.  Due to the rising cost of silver, millions of these coins were melted over the years – making the few remaining coins even more sought-after.

The three coins are identified by the mint mark on the reverse. It appears above the center of the Liberty Bell and below the “E” in “STATES.” A small “D” mint mark identifies the coin as being struck in Denver, while an “S” means it was made in San Francisco. Coins from Philadelphia have no mint mark.

All three coins are increasingly scarce and highly desirable, but the key to this collection is the coin from San Francisco. It was made in San Francisco for only five years (1949 and 1951-1954) and in very small quantities.