Franklin Half Dollar

1948-1963
Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

With all the snow on the ground still in Eastern Pennsylvania I thought I would look at another coin. The Franklin Half Dollar (also referred to as the Liberty Bell Half Dollar) began minting in 1948. Designed by John R. Sinnock, the obverse features Benjamin Franklin with the words “Liberty” inscribed above, “In God We Trust” below, and the date to Franklin’s right. Tucked below Franklin’s shoulder are Sinnock’s initials “JRS.”

 The reverse features the Liberty Bell as a complement to Franklin, since both have become closely identified not only with the nation’s birth but with the city of Philadelphia. Three inscriptions are arranged around the bell “United States of America” above, “Half Dollar” below, and “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of Many, One) to the left. To the right of the bell is an upright eagle which had been required by law to appear on the half dollar since 1792. The eagle was added by Gilroy Roberts, who completed work on the coin following Sinnock’s death in 1947.