Obverse: identify the front

Benjamin Franklin faces right. LIBERTY runs above the portrait, IN GOD WE TRUST beneath it and the date is at the right. The photographed coin is dated 1963. Do not confuse the right-facing Franklin portrait with left-facing Kennedy.

Reverse: identify the back

The Liberty Bell dominates the center, with a small eagle to its right and HALF DOLLAR below. On the pictured reverse a D appears above the bell. The bell’s lower lines can be relevant to collector evaluation, but this photograph does not assign a designation to your coin.

History and purpose

The Mint records the Franklin design in 1948–1963 between Walking Liberty and Kennedy. All three original 90% silver half-dollar designs share the same nominal 12.5 g mass. A change in portrait alone is therefore not a change in this metal calculation.

How to identify this variant

Match Franklin’s portrait to the Liberty Bell and small eagle, then read HALF DOLLAR, year and mint mark. Nominal dimensions are 12.5 g and approximately 30.6 mm. A bell motif on a medal without these coin identifiers must not be counted under this profile.

Understanding its metal content

The calculation is 12.5 g × 0.9 = 11.25 g fine silver; divide by 31.1034768 to convert grams to troy ounces. The rest of the coin is alloy metal. Quantity totals use nominal content; wear, damage or an incorrect identification can change the content of your actual coins.

Dates, varieties and composition changes

This guide ends at 1963. Proof finish, mint mark and strike characteristics can affect collector assessment while retaining the original nominal silver specification. Packaging and certificates should stay with a proof coin; shine by itself does not establish proof status.

Melt value versus collector value

Keep the bell detail, portrait surfaces and any holder label visible. The library does not grade bell lines or assign a condition premium. An apparently ordinary Franklin half can deserve closer review before being grouped solely for silver weight.

Authenticity and condition

Check portrait, bell, small eagle, lettering, date, edge and physical dimensions as a group. Slabbed coins cannot be weighed with the holder as though it were coin mass. Avoid cleaning or scratching the bell; request examination where evidence does not agree.

Selling this coin

Describe these as Franklin half dollars and list quantities by year and mint mark when practical. Include both sides, especially the lower bell detail, in appraisal photos. Preserve proof packaging and grading labels rather than detaching their history from the coins.

Sources and calculation methodology

The Mint reference supports the historical design or composition distinction described here. The separate specification record documents gross mass, silver fineness and diameter; numerical source claims are recorded individually. Fixed decimal arithmetic calculates silver content without copying a reference site’s prices. No approved live silver-price feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable. Photo identities and reuse rights are reviewed separately.

Common questions

References

• U.S. Mint: Half Dollar history — identity; dates Franklin half 1948–1963; design Franklin and Liberty Bell (checked 2026-10-10)

Issue-year references

• PCGS: Franklin half-dollar issue list

Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.

Related coins

Walking Liberty Half Dollar

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

United States • 90% silver, 10% copper

Issue years: 1916–1921, 1923, 1927–1929, 1933–1947

Fine silver: 0.361696 troy oz

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1964 Kennedy Half Dollar — 90% Silver

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

United States • 90% silver, 10% copper

Issue years: 1964

Fine silver: 0.361696 troy oz

Add to collection