Ben Franklin Half (1948-1963)

The "Franklin Half" is a U.S. half dollar coin minted from 1948 to 1963. The coin pictured Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. 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, nine years before the design would otherwise have been eligible for a change. Approximately 510 million Franklin halves were minted during the period 1948 to 1963. Coins without a mintmark were minted in Philadelphia, whereas those with a "D" were minted in Denver and with an "S" in San Francisco.