1951-S Franklin Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 13,696,000 made
- Mintage
- 13,696,000
- 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 1951-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 1951-S Franklin Half Dollar rare?
- Not by date: 14 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1951-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 1951 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 1951 are scarcer?
- The 1949-S at 3,744,000, the 1953-S at 4,148,000, the 1954-S at 4,993,400, plus 1 more. So the 1951-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1951-S Franklin Half Dollar coins were made?
- 13,696,000.
What to check on your 1951-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 1951-D (9.5 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1951 Franklin Half Dollar Proof (57,500 made) is the one to compare with.
- 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 1951-S
San Francisco hadn't struck the Franklin Half Dollar since 1949. When it came back in 1951, it made 13,696,000. In 1952 the figure was 5.5 million.
1951-D came to 9.5 million and 1951 came to 17 million, so neither mint's 1951 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Of the 5 Franklin Half Dollars San Francisco struck between 1949 and 1954, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest San Francisco issue is the 1949-S at 3,744,000. Within the 1950s it's 15th smallest of 22, between the 1954 (13 million) and the 1951 (17 million).
San Francisco coins and the 1955 Bugs Bunny (1951 to 1955)
Output rose sharply from 1951, with Denver passing 25 million in 1952 and 1954. San Francisco struck halves every year through 1954. Those S coins are often weakly struck, so full bell line examples are rare. The 1953 Philadelphia issue is low at 2,796,920. Proof sales climbed every year of the period.
In 1955 only Philadelphia struck halves, just 2,876,381. Many 1955 coins show the Bugs Bunny clashed die, where marks from the eagle's wings on the reverse die left lines in front of Franklin's mouth that resemble buck teeth. Despite the low mintage, the 1955 was widely saved in rolls, so uncirculated examples are easy to find. The 1954-S was the last Franklin half from San Francisco. Many collectors assemble these dates from original mint sets of the period.
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 | 1951 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 13,696,000 |
| 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 1951 Franklin Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 Franklin Half Dollar | 16,802,102 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1951 Franklin Half Dollar Proof | 57,500 | Proof | 0.3617 oz |
| 1951-D Franklin Half Dollar | 9,475,200 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1951-S Franklin Half Dollar | 13,696,000 | 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.