He had designed the medal from a bust of Franklin by Jean-Antoine Houdon. The chief engraver adapted his earlier work for the obverse. In 1947, Ross asked Sinnock to produce a design for a half dollar featuring Franklin. Abraham Lincoln remained a beloved figure, and Ross did not want to be responsible for removing him from the coinage. The Walking Liberty design seemed old-fashioned to Mint officials, and the only other coin being struck which was eligible for replacement was the Lincoln cent. The dime was redesigned in 1946 to depict fallen President Franklin Roosevelt, who had been closely associated with the March of Dimes. During the war, the Mint contemplated adding one or more new denominations of coinage Sinnock prepared a Franklin design in anticipation of a new issue, which did not occur. Mint officials considered putting Franklin on the dime in 1941, but the project was shelved due to heavy demands on the Mint for coins as the United States entered World War II. The Walking Liberty half dollar and Mercury dime had been first issued in 1916 they could be replaced without congressional action from and after 1940. Its reverse was used as the basis for the Franklin half dollar's reverse.Īn 1890 statute forbade the replacement of a coin design without congressional action, unless it had been in service for 25 years, counting the year of first issuance. Given the practical man that he was, Franklin proposed the wild turkey as our national bird." The Sesquicentennial half dollar. He detested the eagle, and numismatic lore has it that he often referred to it as a scavenger. Indeed, Franklin might have been more upset at the reverse design: as numismatic writer Jonathan Tepper noted, "Had Benjamin Franklin known that he would be appearing on a half dollar with an eagle, he most likely would have been quite upset.
In a 1948 interview, Ross noted that Franklin only knew of living royalty on coins, and presumably would feel differently about a republic honoring a deceased founder. Franklin had opposed putting portraits on coins he advocated proverbs about which the holder could profit through reflection. In 1933, Sinnock had designed a medal featuring Franklin, which may have given her the idea. Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross had long been an admirer of Benjamin Franklin, and wished to see him on a coin. Though the coin is still legal tender, its value to collectors or as silver (bullion value) both greatly exceed its face value. Beginning in 1964 it was replaced by the Kennedy half dollar, issued in honor of the assassinated President John F. The coin was struck regularly until 1963. No change was made, with the Mint responding that the letters were simply the artist's initials (The same accusation was made after the release of the Sinnock designed Roosevelt Dime in 1946). Despite the Commission's disapproval, the Mint proceeded with Sinnock's designs.Īfter the coins were released in April 1948, the Mint received accusations that Sinnock's initials "JRS" on the cutoff at Franklin's shoulder were a tribute to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin (Stalin did not have a middle name that began with an 'R').
#Valuable kennedy half dollars crack
The Commission disliked the small eagle and felt that depicting the crack in the Liberty Bell would expose the coinage to jokes and ridicule. The Mint submitted the new designs to the Commission of Fine Arts ("Commission") for its advisory opinion. The designs were completed by Sinnock's successor, Gilroy Roberts. Sinnock's designs were based on his earlier work, but he died before their completion. Sinnock, to prepare designs for a Franklin half dollar. In 1947, she instructed her chief engraver, John R. Mint director Nellie Tayloe Ross had long admired Franklin, and wanted him to be depicted on a coin. Produced in 90 percent silver with a reeded edge, the coin was struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. A small eagle was placed to the right of the bell to fulfill the legal requirement that half dollars depict the figure of an eagle. The fifty-cent piece pictures Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. The Franklin half dollar is a coin that was struck by the United States Mint from 1948 to 1963. Sinnock with participation by Gilroy Roberts Philadelphia Mint coins struck without mint mark. D, S on reverse, above yoke of bell and below letter E in STATES.
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