Proof Franklin Half Dollar 1954

From a collector's standpoint, the Proof Franklin Half Dollar series is where serious time should be spent. Compared to the BU series, which had millions upon millions minted each year, the Proof Franklins are much more modest. When the Philadelphia Mint first started producing the Proof Franklins, they didn't know how the public was going to react. The mentality was that if they just produced a small amount at a time, then see how popular they are, money wouldn't be wasted on an overproduction. In 1954, 233,000 Proof Franklins were minted by only the Philadelphia Mint and are in high demand today. Combined with their silver content, the 1954 Proof Franklins are considered highly numismatic and never last long in any inventory!

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. Ross approached the Mint Engraver, John R. Sinnock, and asked him to design a portrait of Franklin for the new half dollar. Sinnock used past designs of his to get the new half dollar underway but would not see the end result. Sinnock died before the completion of the Franklin Half Dollar, leaving it up to his successor, Gilroy Roberts, to finish the job. 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.

• Denomination: N/A
• Year: 1954
• Diameter: N/A
• Mint Mark: N/A
• Thickness: N/A
• Grade: N/A