Remembering the Franklin Half Dollar // The Final Years (1961-63) // NGC Certified Proof Specimens // Set of 3

Celebrate one of America’s most beloved founding fathers with this trio of silver proof Benjamin Franklin half dollars. Proof coins are minted exclusively for collectors and are the finest quality coins ever produced. The blanks are specially treated, hand-polished, and cleaned before being struck with specially polished dies at least twice to ensure great detail. The resulting coins are of exceptional quality and have deeply mirrored finishes with intricate designs.

You will receive three stunning proof specimens issued during the final three years of production (1961-1963), each certified by Numismatic Guarantee Corporation and encapsulated in their sonically sealed airtight holder. The three certified coins will come housed in a plush-lined black presentation box accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and are guaranteed to be of similar quality to the ones shown.

In 1947, U.S. Mint director Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman to hold that position, instructed Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock to prepare designs for a Franklin half dollar. She had always deeply admired Franklin, who himself was known to oppose portraits on coins, like many of the Founding Fathers. Sinnock based his designs on a Franklin medal he had created previously but died before he could fully adapt these designs to the new half dollar, which required completion by Sinnock’s successor, Gilroy Roberts. The obverse features a right facing bust of Franklin, while the reverse shows a large rendition of the Liberty Bell and a smaller depiction of an eagle. The eagle was included to satisfy an old law requiring it to appear on all United States silver coins.

The Franklin half dollar was released to the public at noon on April 30th, 1948, the anniversary of George Washington’s 1789 presidential inauguration. Production of the new half dollar continued for 15 years, until it was replaced abruptly by the Kennedy half dollar. This coin was swiftly introduced following the President’s assassination on November 22nd, 1963 and signed into law on December 30th of that year, marking the end of the Franklin half dollar series.