1948 Franklin Half Dollar

The Franklin half dollar replaced the beloved Walking Liberty design in 1948, becoming the first US coin to depict a person who was not a president or allegorical figure. Its 1948 debut makes it a natural starting point for anyone assembling a set of the series.

The coin's understated, historically themed design, honoring Founding Father Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, marked a shift toward more literal, historically grounded imagery on US circulating coinage.

Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock had prepared sketches pairing Franklin with the Liberty Bell years earlier, and after his death in 1947 the Mint adapted the design for the half dollar once the Walking Liberty design's minimum term had expired. Franklin was chosen partly at the urging of Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross, who admired his legacy as a statesman and printer.

Production began in 1948 at Philadelphia and Denver. The design would run through 1963, after which it was replaced by the Kennedy half dollar following President Kennedy's assassination.

Obverse: A right-facing bust of Benjamin Franklin, with "LIBERTY" arcing above, "IN GOD WE TRUST" to the left, and the date below.

Reverse: The Liberty Bell, complete with its famous crack, dominates the design, with a small eagle added beside it starting in 1954 to satisfy a legal requirement for an eagle on half dollar reverses. "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" arcs above, "HALF DOLLAR" below, and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" appears in small letters across the bell.

The mintmark, when present, sits above the bell near the crack. 1948 Philadelphia coins carry no mintmark; Denver coins show a small "D" in that location.

As a common date with moderate mintages, 1948 Franklin halves in typical circulated grades are affordable, generally trading close to their silver melt value. Uncirculated coins with sharp "Full Bell Lines" (complete, unbroken lines at the base of the Liberty Bell) command meaningful premiums, since strike weakness there is common across the series.