1959 Franklin Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 6,200,000 made
- Mintage
- 6,200,000
- 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 1959 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 1959 Franklin Half Dollar rare?
- Not by date: 6.2 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1959 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 1959 Franklin Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, above the Liberty Bell's beam. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1959 are scarcer?
- The 1955 at 2,498,181, the 1956 at 4,032,000, the 1958 at 4,042,000, plus 2 more. So the 1959 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1959 Franklin Half Dollar coins were made?
- 6,200,000.
What to check on your 1959
- 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 1959 Franklin Half Dollar Proof (1,149,291 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 1959
Philadelphia made 6,200,000 in 1959, up from 4 million in 1958. In 1960 the figure was 6 million.
1959-D came to 13 million, so neither mint's 1959 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Philadelphia's 16 Franklin Half Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 1955 with 2,498,181 made. The 1959 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1950s it's 9th smallest of 22, between the 1952-S (5.5 million) and the 1950 (7.7 million).
Philadelphia and Denver only (1956 to 1959)
From 1956 only Philadelphia and Denver made Franklin halves. Denver skipped 1956 entirely. The 1956 Philadelphia coin (4,701,384) and the 1958 Philadelphia coin (4,917,652) are the low mintages of the period, while Denver struck from about 13 to 24 million a year from 1957.
Proof sales rose quickly in these years and passed one million sets in 1957, so proof Franklins of the late 1950s are common. Two different reverse hubs were used on 1956 proofs. Specialists separate them by the eagle's feathers. Strike quality on business strikes varies widely. Check the lower bell lines under good light before assuming a coin is fully struck. Uncirculated rolls of these years were saved, so bag marks rather than wear are the usual problem.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1959
The Lincoln Memorial reverse replaced the wheat ears on the cent to mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
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 | 1959 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 6,200,000 |
| 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 1959 Franklin Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 Franklin Half Dollar | 6,200,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1959 Franklin Half Dollar Proof | 1,149,291 | Proof | 0.3617 oz |
| 1959-D Franklin Half Dollar | 13,053,750 | 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.