1950 Franklin Half Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 51,386 made
- Mintage
- 51,386
- 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 1950 Franklin Half Dollar Proof 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:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- 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 1950 Franklin Half Dollar Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 51,386 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1950 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 1950 Franklin Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, above the Liberty Bell's beam. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- How many 1950 Franklin Half Dollar proofs were made?
- 51,386.
What to check on your 1950
- 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 1950 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1950
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.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1950
Proof coins were sold to collectors again for the first time since 1942. The 1950-D Jefferson nickel had a low mintage and was widely hoarded as a "key date" in rolls.
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 | 1950 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 51,386 |
| 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 1950 Franklin Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 Franklin Half Dollar | 7,742,123 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1950 Franklin Half Dollar Proof | 51,386 | Proof | 0.3617 oz |
| 1950-D Franklin Half Dollar | 8,031,600 | 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.