Franklin Half Dollar Lot – 90% Silver – 1286 DWT

For your consideration, we have a Franklin Half Dollar Lot. The Franklin Half Dollar came about because then-mint director Nellie Tayloe Ross was an admirer of Franklin and wanted his likeness depicted on a coin. In 1947, Ms. Ross instructed the mint’s chief engraver, John Sinnock, to begin working on designs for such a coin. Unfortunately, Mr. Sinnock passed away before the completion of his designs, and his successor, Gilroy Roberts, completed the coin’s final design. The coins were first released in April of 1948 and soon after experienced a degree of controversy. Sinnock’s initials, JRS, appeared on the coin at the cutoff of Franklin’s shoulder. Some believed that these initials were actually a tribute to former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The mint explained, however, that these initials were simply Sinnock’s initials-nothing more-and the mint made no changes to the coin’s design. Franklin Half Dollars were then regularly minted until 1963. In 1964, the coin was replaced by the Kennedy Half Dollar.