The 1953 Franklin Half Dollar is a well-known coin in the U.S.A. with a face value of $0.50 and is made of 90% silver and 10% copper. All the coins minted from 1948 to 1963 have the same composition.
The half-dollar coin was struck at the mints in Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco with a reeded edge. It was struck regularly until 1963. Its specifications also include the following:
Diameter – 31.61 mm
Mass – 12.50 g
Thickness – 1.8 mm
The fifty-cent silver coin was engraved with Benjamin Franklin’s portrait. The then-mint director Nellie Tayloe Ross was inspired by Franklin’s “A penny saved is twopence dear.” Hence, she instructed the chief engraver John Sinnock to design the coin. However, Sinnock died before the design was completed, so his successor, Gilroy Roberts, finished the design.
What Is the 1953 Franklin Half Dollar Made Ofphoto source: U.S. Coin Book
The coin’s obverse features the portrait profile of the Founding Father Benjamin Franklin with flowing hair cut off his shoulder. As you can see in the image above, the following inscriptions were also featured:
LIBERTY
IN GOD WE TRUST
1953
The reverse side, meantime, features the Liberty Bell with the following inscriptions:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
HALF DOLLAR
E PLURIBUS UNUM
Small eagle – placed at the right side of the bell
Though the coin was released in April 1948, it has experienced controversies. The Mint received accusations that the initials “J.R.S.” of Sinnock and the hair cutoff at Franklin’s shoulder were a tribute to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Apart from that, the Commission of Fine Arts disliked the small eagle design. They also believed that the cracked Liberty Bell design would be exposed to jokes and ridicule. Despite this, the 1953 half-dollar coin was still popular with many collectors for having featured Benjamin Franklin on it being one of the most famous Americans in history.
Out of the 482 million Franklin fifty-cent coins struck for circulation and proof, about 28 million coins were made in 1953 of the half dollar.
1953 Franklin Half Dollar Varieties
The 1953 Franklin fifty-cent coins were produced in at least four varieties. These are 1953-D, 1953-P, 1953-S, and 1953 Proof. Apart from these varieties, some half-dollar coins were also made with minting errors.
A complete set of Franklin halves consist of 35 varying business strikes and 14 other proofs. Most collectors are basing their collections on date and Mint. Those who can afford it are after finer minted coins like MS-65 and above. Franklin Half Dollar with deep cameo contrast appears attractive for some collectors.
Let’s take a look at the description of these varieties and coin errors below:
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