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1/2 Dollar 'Franklin Half Dollar'
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948-1963 |
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| Engraver(s) | Obverse: John R. Sinnock Reverse: John R. Sinnock, Gilroy Roberts |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing draped bust portrait of Benjamin Franklin, the prominent American statesman and Founding Father, rendered in high relief with flowing hair falling to the shoulder. The legend LIBERTY arcs along the upper rim, while the motto IN GOD WE TRUST curves along the lower field. The date appears in the right field between the portrait and the lower legend, with the engraver's initials JRS incuse on the truncation of the bust. |
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| Obverse lettering | LIBERTY IN GOD WE TRUST |
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| Additional information |
The Franklin Half Dollar came into existence largely through the force of will of Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross, who pushed the design through despite resistance from Congress — existing law required a deceased president on the half dollar, but Franklin was neither a president nor recently deceased, requiring a specific legislative exemption. The series ran only until Kennedy's assassination made a replacement politically irresistible.
Collectors working this series focus heavily on the bell lines — full, uninterrupted horizontal lines across the Liberty Bell's lower register indicate a sharply struck die and are genuinely scarce on Philadelphia issues from the early 1950s.