1949-S Franklin Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 3,744,000 made
- Mintage
- 3,744,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 12.5 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1949-S Franklin Half Dollar worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.3617 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full bell lines (FBL)
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1949-S Franklin Half Dollar rare?
- Not in absolute terms: 3.7 million were made. It is one of the smaller runs in the series, though, so uncirculated examples are worth a little more than most dates.
- Is the 1949-S Franklin Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1949 Franklin Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, above the Liberty Bell's beam. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1949 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1949-S.
- How many 1949-S Franklin Half Dollar coins were made?
- 3,744,000.
What to check on your 1949-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1949-D (4.1 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Judge the grade under good light. The lower bell lines are the key: Full Bell Lines coins sell for several times the price of ordinary ones.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1949-S
This was the first time San Francisco made the Franklin Half Dollar for circulation: 3,744,000 coins. After that, San Francisco didn't make another until 1951.
1949-D came to 4.1 million and 1949 came to 5.6 million, so neither mint's 1949 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Of the 5 Franklin Half Dollars San Francisco struck between 1949 and 1954, this is the scarcest. Among the 1940s issues, only the 1948 had a smaller run.
Sinnock's Franklin and the first sets (1948 to 1950)
The Franklin half dollar replaced the Walking Liberty in 1948. John R. Sinnock prepared the design before his death in 1947 and Gilroy Roberts completed it. The reverse shows the Liberty Bell with a small eagle to its right, added to meet the legal requirement for an eagle on the larger silver coins.
Only Philadelphia and Denver struck halves in 1948, about 3 million and 4 million. Both are popular first-year coins. San Francisco joined in 1949. The 1949-S, at 3,744,000, is scarce with full bell lines, the grading term for complete horizontal lines across the lower bell. Proof Franklins began in 1950 with just over 51,000 sets, the lowest proof mintage of the series. San Francisco made no halves in 1950.
How to recognize it
John Sinnock's portrait shows Benjamin Franklin facing right with LIBERTY above, IN GOD WE TRUST below and the date to the right. The reverse shows the Liberty Bell, crack included, with a small eagle to the right. The mint mark is above the bell's beam. Collectors look for "full bell lines", where the horizontal lines at the bottom of the bell are complete.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Franklin Half Dollar (1948–1963) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,744,000 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 12.5 grams |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3617 troy oz (11.250 g) |
| Designer | John R. Sinnock (completed by Gilroy Roberts) |
Other 1949 Franklin Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 Franklin Half Dollar | 5,614,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1949-D Franklin Half Dollar | 4,120,600 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1949-S Franklin Half Dollar | 3,744,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
Mintage: United States half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.