$10 Face Value Franklin Half Dollars 90% Silver 20-Coin Roll BU (1948-1955)

$10 Face Value Franklin Half Dollars 90% Silver 20-Coin Roll BU (1948-1955)

The Franklin Half Dollar marked a couple of very important changes to our coinage. First, this series completed the conversion of our coin designs from allegorical figures to portraits of Americans important to our history. These coins also marked the end of what many consider the golden age of American coinage art. The previous half-dollar design, the Walking Liberty, was the last design remaining from the early 20th century that had included the Mercury dime, Standing Liberty quarter and the Augustus Saint-Gaudens double eagle. The idea of a Franklin coin began with mint director Nellie Taylor Ross, who selected Franklin because of his many contributions as a Founding Father, diplomat, inventor, scientist, publisher and printer. The Franklin series lends itself to set building because there are no major rarities too expensive for most collectors.

The obverse side of the coin features a portrait of the founding father, inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin. This was the first coin in U.S. history meant for circulation that featured a real American rather than a symbol. Surrounding his image are the inscriptions of "LIBERTY," "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the year of minting.

The reverse side features a portrait of the cracked Liberty Bell along with a small eagle appearing to the right which was required by law. Ironically, Benjamin Franklin opposed the idea of making the bald eagle a national symbol. The reverse also includes the inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and "HALF DOLLAR."

The roll contains twenty 90% silver U.S. 1962 Franklin Half Dollars for a total of $10 face value, totaling approximately 7.15 troy oz of fine silver. The Franklin half dollar was struck by the United States Mint from 1948 to 1963. The year on these coins will vary from 1948-1955.