90% Silver Franklin Half | $1 Face Value

A Piece of Constitutional Silver

This lot delivers $1 in face value of 90% silver Franklin Half Dollars, two circulated halves struck by the US Mint between 1948 and 1963. Constitutional silver like this, the last coinage struck in the pre-1965 90% alloy, trades close to melt and gives stackers a low-premium way to add recognizable US silver to a stack. Two half dollars, $1 face value, 90% silver.

The Design

The obverse carries a right-facing portrait of Benjamin Franklin, LIBERTY arced above and IN GOD WE TRUST beneath. Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock designed the coin, and Franklin became the first person who never served as president to appear on a regular-issue US coin. The reverse centers on the Liberty Bell, crack and all, with a small eagle added beside it to satisfy the federal law requiring an eagle on coins worth more than a dime. Franklin never served as president, the first non-president on a US coin.

Specifications

Each half dollar is struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, for 0.7150 troy ounces of silver per $1 face value across the two coins. The coins measure 30.6 mm across and 2.15 mm thick, with a reeded edge. 0.715 troy ounces per dollar is the industry-standard figure, not the coin’s exact mint weight. Full current specs are on the Specifications tab above.

A Note on Wear and Condition

These are circulated coins that passed through decades of pocket change before reaching a stack, so wear is normal and expected. Full legends and dates remain legible on every coin, while the high points, Franklin’s cheek and the bell’s high relief, show the smoothing that circulation leaves behind. Our part in it: we do not dip or clean the coins we sell, so what you receive reflects genuine circulation wear, not an artificial brightening. Wear is normal here, not a defect to worry about.

Franklin Half Dollar FAQ

What does “$1 face value” mean here?

It means the coins add up to $1 in old US currency, not $1 in what you’d pay today. At $1 face value, that’s two 90% silver half dollars, since each one carries a $0.50 denomination. Face value sets the count, not the price you pay.

How much actual silver is in this lot?

About 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver across the two half dollars, the industry-standard figure for $1 face value of 90% silver. The coins’ exact mint weight works out closer to 0.723 ounces, and the lower figure accounts for the metal that decades of circulation wear off. 0.715 ounces is the standard, adjusted down for circulation wear.

What condition are these coins in?

Circulated, meaning these passed through decades of pocket change before reaching a stack. Full legends and dates stay legible, and the high points show the smoothing normal for coins this age. Condition is circulated, not a fresh, unhandled strike.

Will I get a specific date or mint mark?

No, dates and mint marks are our choice based on available inventory, and coins may vary from any specific dates pictured. Date and mint mark vary, only the face value and silver content are fixed.

Is this coin valuable as a collectible, beyond its silver content?

Not this listing. Circulated common-date Franklin halves like these trade close to melt value. Certain scarce dates and higher-quality examples do carry a collector premium, but that’s a different product from this bullion-priced lot. This lot prices on silver, not date rarity or condition.

Want other 90% silver half dollars? Browse our full 90% Silver Half Dollars selection.

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