These 13 Franklin Half Dollars Have Values in the Five-Figures — Do You Own One Worth a Small Fortune?
Later this month the United States will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who was gunned down in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. One of the smaller impacts of JFK’s assassination is that the government put his image on half dollar coins beginning in 1964. Those coins permanently replaced the Benjamin Franklin 50-cent pieces, thus limiting the supply of the Franklin half dollars and contributing to current values that run into six figures.
Franklin half dollars were issued from 1948 through 1963, according to the Gainesville Coins website. They were the last U.S. half dollar series struck only in 90% silver. The Kennedy half dollars that followed were made as 90% silver circulating coins for one year only. Beginning in 1965, the JFK coins were converted to cheaper copper-silver clad. Six years later they switched again to copper-nickel clad.
As for Benjamin Franklin — he was a humble sort who may not have wanted having his image on a U.S. coin, according to the CoinValueChecker site. But a 20th century director of the U.S. Mint was a Franklin admirer and lobbied to have him on the 50-cent coin.
Most Franklin Half Dollars Aren’t Worth Big Bucks
There aren’t many Franklin half dollars that are considered rare or even scarce by collectors — but as Gainesville Coins noted, there are several “conditional” rarities and varieties that are worth searching out. These can range in value from a few hundred dollars each to several thousand dollars and more. One of the highest prices paid came in 2018, when a 1958 Full Bell Line Franklin half dollar sold for $129,250.
Here are 13 Franklin half dollars that have sold for at least five figures, according to CoinValueChecker.
- 1961 Proof DDR Franklin Half Dollar: $14,400.
- 1963 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $85,188.
- 1953-S Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $69,000.
- 1958 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $129,250.
- 1949-S Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $31,725.
- 1948 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $28,750.
- 1955 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $14,100.
- 1952 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $42,300.
- 1951-S Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $30,550.
- 1950 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $39,600.
- 1960 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $28,200.
- 1954-D Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $21,275.
- 1962 Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollar: $17,825.
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