Certified Franklin Half Dollar 1953-S MS65+ NGC

The Certified Franklin Half Dollar 1953-S MS65+ NGC has a grade that catches collectors' eyes: MS65+. Although it doesn't have the traits to be considered a MS66, the MS65+ is considered to be in better condition than a MS65 grade. With San Francisco producing a competitive number in 1953, the highly grade 1953-S is appealing to intrigued collectors. NGC is world renowned for their competitive grading methods and professional packaging. The alluring MS65+ grade is permanently protected in an airtight holder, officially certified by NGC.

Considered to be a controversial design, the Franklin Half Dollar wasn't approved by the Commission of Fine Arts. This commission was how the US Mint would decide which design would be chosen for the new coin. Right before the Franklin Half Dollar was minted, the Mint Director at the time, Nellie Tayloe Ross, long since admired Benjamin Franklin, so when it was time to replace the Walking Liberty, she knew which design would be next. Once the final design was finished, the Mint Director took it to the Commission of Fine Arts to get it approved. The Commission of Fine Arts didn't approve of the Liberty bell's crack being pictured, on the reverse of the Franklin half dollar, in fear of it being ridiculed by the public. Although the design was not approved, the US Mint still minted it as the new design. The reverse depicts the famous Liberty Bell, with its crack down the middle, and also contains the coin's legal monetary denomination. Due to the Mint Act, passed when the first mint in the US was established, the US Mint was required to detail the coin's legal tender value on the actual coin. The Franklin Half Dollar has a special place in the Philadelphia Mint's heart, since the pictures on the actual coin are native to the original capital of the US.