1963 Franklin Half Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 3,075,645 made
- Mintage
- 3,075,645
- 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 1963 Franklin Half Dollar Proof worth?
Its silver content sets the floor. Collectors add a small premium on top for this issue. Condition decides how much.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1963 Franklin Half Dollar Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 3,075,645 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1963 Franklin Half Dollar Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1963 Franklin Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, above the Liberty Bell's beam. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- How many 1963 Franklin Half Dollar proofs were made?
- 3,075,645.
What to check on your 1963
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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.
Proofs from 1963 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1963
Higher mintages and the end of Franklin (1960 to 1963)
Demand for coins climbed in the early 1960s. Denver struck 67,069,292 halves in 1963, the largest Franklin mintage. A 1961 proof variety shows a doubled die reverse with strong doubling in E PLURIBUS UNUM and in the lettering. The 1963 Philadelphia mintage of more than 25 million was also a record for that mint.
After President Kennedy was killed in November 1963, Congress quickly approved a new half dollar in his honor. The Franklin design therefore ended after only 16 years. Late Franklin halves were widely saved and are common in mint state, though coins with sharp bell lines from 1960 to 1963 are in demand. Proofs of these years were made in the millions. All are 90 percent silver.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1963
The last Franklin half dollars were struck. President Kennedy was assassinated in November and the Kennedy half dollar was authorized weeks later.
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 | 1963 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 3,075,645 |
| 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 1963 Franklin Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 Franklin Half Dollar | 22,164,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1963 Franklin Half Dollar Proof | 3,075,645 | Proof | 0.3617 oz |
| 1963-D Franklin Half Dollar | 67,069,292 | 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.