1953 Franklin Half Dollar Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 128,800 made
- Mintage
- 128,800
- 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 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 1953 Franklin Half Dollar Proof rare?
- Not especially. The Mint made 128,800 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1953 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 1953 Franklin Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, above the Liberty Bell's beam. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- How many 1953 Franklin Half Dollar proofs were made?
- 128,800.
What to check on your 1953
- 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 1953 come with and without frosted devices. Coins with strong contrast are labeled Cameo or Deep Cameo and are worth more.
The story of the 1953
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 | Proof |
| Mintage | 128,800 |
| 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.