Halves: Franklin (1948 - 1963) Auctions
The Franklin half dollar was minted from 1948 to 1963 with 510 million Franklin half dollar were produced over that period of time. The coin features the Liberty Bell on the reverse and Benjamin Franklin on the obverse. A small eagle
to the right of the bell was necessitated by law even though Franklin
himself preferred the turkey as a "more noble bird" over the selection of the eagle. A bill rushed
through Congress after the assassination of John F. Kennedy caused the Franklin half to be replaced by the current Kennedy half dollar in February 1964, 9 years before the design would otherwise have been eligible for a change.
