Values
A Franklin half’s market depends on the date, the mint mark, and the grade. Melt is a different conversation. Full Bell Lines is a later conversation. This page is a series reference, not a price list.
The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
NGC Coin Explorer is not quoted here as naming a traditional key date in this series. This is a name list, not a price list. Do not invent one.
There is no key-date bolding on the mintage chart for that reason. A worn common silver date is still worn.
No key-date list is printed here yet.
Key date names: NGC Coin Explorer. This is a name list, not a price list.
Errors
These are named varieties. They are not extra invented rows.
Full Bell Lines. That is a strike designation on the Liberty Bell. It is not an error and not a G / VF / MS-63 cell.
1954-D Bugs Bunny. Collectors name the die clash. NGC printed no G / VF / MS-63 cell and no mintage in this pass, so it stays name-only.
1963-D. That Denver count is the Wikipedia business strike. It is the last Franklin year at Denver, not an error.
Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer Franklin page. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
Franklin halves do not split into design types. Full Bell Lines is a strike designation on the Liberty Bell, not a variety. The named die clash is the one NGC already leaves name-only.
- 1954-D Bugs BunnyA die clash collectors name. NGC printed no guide cell and no separate count in the pass this page uses, so it stays a name.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
Franklin halves were struck at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco from 1948 through 1963. The counts below are NGC Coin Explorer figures retrieved 2026-08-23.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | NGC ID | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | P | 3,006,814 | 16651 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1948 | D | 4,028,600 | 16652 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1949 | P | 5,614,000 | 16653 | $26 | $26 | $60 |
| 1949 | D | 4,120,600 | 16654 | $26 | $26 | $60 |
| 1949 | S | 3,744,000 | 16655 | $26 | $26 | $100 |
| 1950 | P | 7,742,123 | 16656 | $26 | $26 | $40 |
| 1950 | D | 8,031,600 | 16657 | $26 | $26 | $45 |
| 1951 | P | 16,802,102 | 16658 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1951 | D | 9,475,200 | 16659 | $26 | $26 | $45 |
| 1951 | S | 13,696,000 | 16660 | $26 | $26 | $50 |
| 1952 | P | 21,192,093 | 16661 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1952 | D | 25,395,600 | 16662 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1952 | S | 5,526,000 | 16663 | $26 | $26 | $70 |
| 1953 | P | 2,668,120 | 16664 | $26 | $26 | $40 |
| 1953 | D | 20,900,400 | 16665 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1953 | S | 4,148,000 | 16666 | $26 | $26 | $40 |
| 1954 | P | 13,188,202 | 16667 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1954 | D | 25,445,580 | 16668 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1954 | S | 4,993,400 | 16669 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1955 | P | 2,498,181 | 16670 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1956 | P | 4,032,000 | 16671 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1957 | P | 5,114,000 | 16672 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1957 | D | 19,966,850 | 16673 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1958 | P | 4,042,000 | 16674 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1958 | D | 23,962,412 | 16675 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1959 | P | 6,200,000 | 16676 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1959 | D | 13,053,750 | 16677 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1960 | P | 6,024,000 | 16678 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1960 | D | 18,215,812 | 16679 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1961 | P | 8,290,000 | 16680 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1961 | D | 20,276,442 | 16681 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1962 | P | 9,714,000 | 16682 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1962 | D | 35,473,281 | 16683 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1963 | P | 22,164,000 | 16684 | $26 | $26 | $35 |
| 1963 | D | 67,069,292 | — | — | — | — |
Mintage: NGC Coin Explorer, retrieved 2026-08-23. A blank year in the prose is a year NGC did not print. These are Explorer manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: NGC Coin Explorer. Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
NGC ID: NGC Coin Explorer listing number, retrieved 2026-08-21. A dash means this pass did not record an ID.
1954-D Bugs Bunny is name-only in Errors. 1963-D is the Wikipedia Franklin business-strike count NGC left blank, retrieved 2026-10-06. Guide cells retrieved 2026-08-23.
These are manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. 1963-D is the Wikipedia count NGC left blank.
Read the date. Read the mint mark. Look at the bell lines before you argue Full Bell Lines.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
A Franklin half is the historic .900 silver half. Full Bell Lines is a strike designation. That is not a spec change.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Thickness | 2.15 mm |
| Weight | 12.5 g |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Fine silver | 0.36169 troy oz. Melt math uses this figure. It does not appraise a coin. |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | John R. Sinnock |
Thickness 2.15 mm, weight 12.5 g, and diameter 30.6 mm are the Numista Franklin type page (N#2835). Fine silver is the same 0.36169 troy oz the melt calculator uses for a 90 percent half.
Grading
A Franklin half wears first on Franklin’s cheek and hair, and on the Liberty Bell lines. Full Bell Lines is a strike call, not a G / VF / MS-63 cell.
Bugs Bunny is a die clash nickname. It is not a mintage row on this chart.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin’s cheek and hair | The cheekbone and the hair above the ear. | Those high points flatten while the coat can still look busy. |
| Liberty Bell lines | The horizontal lines on the bell. | The lines go slick first. Full Bell Lines is a later strike conversation. |
| Date | The numerals under Franklin. | A worn date is a worn half. Do not scrape the bell to force a story. |
| Bell crack | The crack on the Liberty Bell, when it is still there. | That line is design, not damage, until someone adds their own. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set. Guide values on this page came from the NGC Price Guide.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A silver half you can still name if you already know the type.
- Franklin’s cheek is gone.
- The Liberty Bell lines is a lump.
- the date may be a shadow. Shine does not raise this.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points are already slick.
- Franklin’s cheek is worn to a blank patch.
- The Liberty Bell lines is not a conversation yet.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- Franklin’s cheek is flat. The portrait is a head, not a face.
- The Liberty Bell lines is outlined.
- Full Bell Lines is a designation, not a grade.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits next to franklin’s cheek.
- The Liberty Bell lines starts to hint at itself.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- Franklin’s cheek is outlined and tired.
- The Liberty Bell lines shows leftover lines, not a full coat.
- the date should be clear.
VF
Very Fine
The design is doing real work. The high points still decide.
- Leftover detail sits in franklin’s cheek.
- The Liberty Bell lines has leftover lines. The center is still the worn spot.
- Full Bell Lines is a designation, not a grade.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on franklin’s cheek and the liberty bell lines.
- Those spots go first. A pretty tone does not hide a flat high point.
- Full Bell Lines is a designation, not a grade.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on franklin’s cheek.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub is still rub.
- Full Bell Lines is a designation, not a grade.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on franklin’s cheek or the liberty bell lines.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- Full Bell Lines is a designation, not a grade.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on franklin’s cheek.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- Full Bell Lines is a designation, not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean example of the type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on franklin’s cheek or the liberty bell lines.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
Proof Franklin halves exist for the run. This page does not invent a PR price grid — NGC did not print one in the 2026-08-23 sheet used here. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations (BN, RB, RD) do not apply here. Those belong on copper coins. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
A Franklin half is a United States half dollar struck on John R. Sinnock’s Franklin and Liberty Bell design from 1948 through 1963. Collectors mean those 90 percent silver coins. People like them because the bell is easy to show someone across a table. They are also easy to ruin. A wiped coin looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
Walking Liberty ends in 1947. Franklin starts in 1948 and runs through 1963. Kennedy begins in 1964. This page will not invent a 1963 key just because the design changes the next year.
This page will not invent a shop list or a melt story to fill the years between.
Design
Obverse: Franklin facing right, “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the date. Reverse: the Liberty Bell, a small eagle, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and “HALF DOLLAR.” Look at the cheek, the hair, and the lines on the bell. Those spots go flat first. Full Bell Lines means the horizontal lines on the bell are fully split. That is a strike call. It is not a G / VF / MS-63 number.
People Also Ask
What years are Franklin halves?
Circulation Franklin halves were struck from 1948 through 1963. This page is that silver half, not Walking Liberty and not Kennedy.
How much is a Franklin half worth?
It depends on the date, the mint mark, and the grade. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. Melt is a different conversation. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.
Is a Franklin half 90 percent silver?
Yes. Circulation Franklin halves are 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. That is composition, not a value quote.
What is Full Bell Lines?
Full Bell Lines is a strike designation on the Liberty Bell. It is not a G, VF, or MS-63 cell on this chart. Do not copy a Full Bell Lines price onto the business-strike column.
Is there a key date Franklin half?
This page does not invent one. NGC Coin Explorer is the catalog used for this pass, and it is not quoted here as naming a traditional key.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the story. A common late date in a high grade can cost more than a worn early date someone called “Franklin” like that was the whole conversation.
If you inherited a box, do not scrub the date. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio.
For the half that came before, read the Walking Liberty half. For the half that follows, read the 1964 Kennedy half.
A Final Word
Franklin halves reward people who slow down. Read the date. Read the mint mark. Look at the bell. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the next half on this site, the 1964 Kennedy half is already here.