#1 Franklin Half Dollar Buyer Las Vegas & Henderson

History

The Benjamin Franklin half dollar was minted from 1948 to 1963 in the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver mints. The obverse of the coin displays a bust of Benjamin Franklin, while the reverse of the coin displays an image of the Liberty Bell with a small majestic eagle standing with its wings up and positioned just slightly to the right of the bell. Mint-marks for the San Francisco and Denver mints are located just above the Liberty Bell. The Benjamin Franklin half dollars weigh 12.5 grams and contain .36169 of an ounce of silver. As with most half dollars minted before it, it is a fairly large coin at 30.6 mm in diameter.

The Benjamin Franklin half dollars are a popularly collected series as they are fairly easy to find and because they are a relatively short series, making it relatively easy to complete a set of all dates and mint-marks. This half dollar was produced significantly during each year of its mintage. As a consequence, there are no great rarities and most coins in the series are easily obtainable and thus do not have a significant collector value unless found in the highest state of preservation or struck as proof coins. In most cases these coins were minted in the millions or tens of millions, so they are fairly plentiful even today, however since they were made with 90% silver, most have been taken out of circulation and put away for their silver content.

Value

The value of the coins in this series generally ranges from about $8 in lower grade condition to about $40 in high grade condition. Those coins that are slightly harder to obtain due to their mintage can range from $70 to about $100 for the highest graded examples. There are not too many semi-key or key dates in this series and these are generally only rare in the highest graded condition. The 1950 D and 1960 D can be worth between $200 and $250 in exceptional condition. The 1949 D can be worth up to $500 in mint state condition. Proof coins carry some premium in the highest grade, with only the 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1953 valued in excess of $200.

In Summary

Because there are so many varied opinions on the condition (or grade) of a coin, the aforementioned values reflect the highest retail prices that have been obtained for those coins that have been assessed by a third party grading company. Such coins have been authenticated, graded and encapsulated by expert coin grading companies to minimize any doubt as to their quality and value and therefore their potential worth.

Since these coins have a high silver content, they are referred to as “constitutional” or “junk” silver and raw, ungraded examples are often sold based on the spot price or the current “melt value” of silver. When the silver spot price is relatively high these coins have often been sold in order to be melted down for that silver content. This circumstance may be potentially creating unexpected scarcity now or in the not too distant future.

We Buy Benjamin Franklin Half Dollars

We want to buy your coins and as a business it is our pledge to offer you the best value for your coins, however, always remember that the prices you may find online or in price guides usually represent the highest retail value for the coin in an already certified condition. As a trusted dealer we will have our coin specialists evaluate your coins at no cost and offer you a price that is both fair for you, but that also allows us to realize a reasonable profit.