1950-D Franklin Half Dollar
Find a collector's item in the 1950-D Franklin half dollar. If you acquire one that's in uncirculated condition and kept as pristine as possible, with barely noticeable wear, it could earn you more than the bullion value and yield hundreds due to its numismatic interest. The Franklin coins are popular for their silver content but these halves signify an interesting part of history as they are the first coin to be based on the portrait of an actual person following a long line of depictions of allegory Liberty figures. The Denver mints are always sought after as less of these coins were minted.
History
U.S. Mint engraver John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin half dollar, including its obverse depicting the profile of founding father and polymath Benjamin Franklin and the reverse, which features the Liberty Bell with its classical crack with a diminutive eagle, a seeming cursory nod to coin regulations at the time. Sinnock used other artistry on which to base his designs as well, so much so that one of the artists, John Frederick Lewis, was given retrospective credit for his Liberty Bell.
Design specifics
In addition to Franklin's likeness and the bell and eagle, other design features include the words "In God we Trust" and "Liberty," detailed below and above the founding father. 1950-D coins were struck in Denver and will bear the mint mark "D" underneath the E in "United States of America." The coins are 30mm in size and have a reeded edge.
1950-D Franklin half dollar proof value and mintage
Denver struck coins were in low mintage – this one has a mintage of 7,742,123 – and hence they can be worth a decent bounty if you stumble across an uncirculated version of this 90% silver 10% copper coin. An uncirculated gem Benjamin franklin half dollar will be worth over a hundred dollars.
