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Franklin half dollar
Benjamin Franklin and the Liberty Bell.
What our records show
- For 1948–1963, the years this site covers for this design, our table has production figures for 16 of 16 years.
- Facilities in the record, with the mark their coins carried: Philadelphia: no mint mark (1948–1963); Denver: D (1948–1954, 1957–1963); San Francisco: S (1949, 1951–1954).
- What the figures count: coins struck each calendar year, proofs included (the Mint's 1792-1965 pamphlet).
- Commemorative half dollars are taken out of the Mint's totals for 1948–1954; each row says how many.
“In 1948, an image of Benjamin Franklin replaced Liberty on the obverse of the half dollar. The reverse depicted the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.”
Metal, weight and size, where a Mint table dates it
| Coin years | Specification and source |
|---|---|
| 1948–1963 | Metal: 90% silver, 10% copper (fineness 900) · Weight: 12.5 g (192.9 grains) Silver: 11.25 g (our calculation: 12.5 g × 90% silver); 0.3617 troy oz (our conversion: grams ÷ 31.1035, rounded to 4 places). Metal weight, not a value. Source: U.S. Mint, Domestic and Foreign Coins Manufactured by Mints of the United States, 1792-1965, PDF pp. 11-12 (printed pp. 7-8), table C5 and footnote 5: "12 1/2 grams, or 192.9 grains"; fineness 900. Covers the standard set by the act of Feb. 12, 1873, the last change the Mint's silver-coinage table lists for coinage to Dec. 31, 1965 (pamphlet table C5). |
Each row covers only the coin years its source establishes. Proof and collector versions can differ and aren't covered.
How many were made
| Year | Philadelphia no mint mark | Denver D | San Francisco S | What the figure counts, and notes | Source (see list below) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 3,006,814 | 4,028,600 | 0 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 20,005, Denver 20,005, San Francisco 20,005 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1949 | 5,614,000 | 4,120,600 | 3,744,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 12,004, Denver 12,004, San Francisco 12,004 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1950 | 7,793,509 | 8,031,600 | 0 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 12,004, Denver 12,004, San Francisco 512,091 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1951 | 16,859,602 | 9,475,200 | 13,696,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 620,100, Denver 22,008, San Francisco 22,008 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1952 | 21,274,073 | 25,395,600 | 5,526,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 2,006,292, Denver 8,006, San Francisco 8,006 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1953 | 2,796,920 | 20,900,400 | 4,148,000 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 8,003, Denver 8,003, San Francisco 108,020 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1954 | 13,421,503 | 25,445,580 | 4,993,400 | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) Commemorative half dollars taken out: Philadelphia 12,006, Denver 12,006, San Francisco 122,024 (pamphlet PDF pp. 72-74 (printed pp. 68-70), table C49). | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1955 | 2,876,381 | none in this row's coverage | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1 |
| 1956 | 4,701,384 | none in this row's coverage | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1 |
| 1957 | 6,361,952 | 19,966,850 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
| 1958 | 4,917,652 | 23,962,412 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
| 1959 | 7,349,291 | 13,053,750 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
| 1960 | 7,715,602 | 18,215,812 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
| 1961 | 11,318,244 | 20,276,442 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
| 1962 | 12,932,019 | 35,473,281 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
| 1963 | 25,239,645 | 67,069,292 | none in this row's coverage | struck that calendar year (includes proofs) – : the Mint's coinage record shows none struck at that facility that year. | 1, 2 |
- Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 42 and 44 (printed pp. 38 and 40), table C19
- Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF p. 54 (printed p. 50), table C27
- Mint pamphlet 1792-1965, PDF pp. 60 and 62 (printed pp. 56 and 58), table C33
Where the mint mark is
The Mint pages we used don't say where this design carries its mint mark, so we don't give a location.
Sources
- Domestic and Foreign Coins Manufactured by Mints of the United States, 1792-1965. Bureau of the Mint, U.S. Treasury Department (Eva Adams, Director), hosted by FRASER, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
- Half Dollar (U.S. Mint, Circulating Coins). United States Mint (archived copy).
Figures and quotes checked against their sources on October 12, 2026.