1953 Franklin Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 2,668,120 made
- Mintage
- 2,668,120
- 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 1953 Franklin Half Dollar worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full bell lines (FBL)
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1953 Franklin Half Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 2,668,120 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1953 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 1953 Franklin Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, above the Liberty Bell's beam. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1953 are scarcer?
- The 1955 at 2,498,181. So the 1953 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1953 Franklin Half Dollar coins were made?
- 2,668,120.
What to check on your 1953
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1953 Franklin Half Dollar Proof (128,800 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.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more.
The story of the 1953
Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1953. Only 2,668,120 were made, against 21 million the year before. That drop is why the 1953 is the one people look for. In 1954 the figure was 13 million.
The other mints made far more that year: 1953-D alone came to 21 million, roughly 7.8 for every 1953. If you're checking a pile of 1953 coins, the mint mark is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1955 (2,498,181) and the 1948 (3,006,814).
Only the 1955 has a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 16 Franklin Half Dollars. Among the 1950s issues, only the 1955 had a smaller run.
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 | 1953 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,668,120 |
| 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 1953 Franklin Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 Franklin Half Dollar | 2,668,120 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1953 Franklin Half Dollar Proof | 128,800 | Proof | 0.3617 oz |
| 1953-D Franklin Half Dollar | 20,900,400 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1953-S Franklin Half Dollar | 4,148,000 | 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.