1952 Franklin Half Dollar

1952 Franklin half dollars are, by and large, considered common and were minted by the millions at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. In fact, more than 50 million half dollars were minted in 1952, which is about a 25 percent increase over the production in 1951.

Here’s a breakdown of mintages and values for 1952 Franklin half dollars:

• 1952, 21,192,093 minted; $11

• 1952 proof, 81,980; $275

• 1952-D, 25,395,600; $11

• 1952-S, 5,526,000; $12

*Values are for coins in a grade of Very Fine-20, unless otherwise noted.

As you have probably noticed in the mintage rundown, the 1952-S Franklin half dollar is a particularly low-mintage coin, with about 5.5 million made. While it is by no means a rare coin, it is definitely among the scarcer Franklin halves in terms of shear mintage and is priced as such in the higher grades. For example, a 1952-S Franklin half dollar has a value of around $80 in Mint State-63, whereas the Philadelphia and Denver pieces are worth only $25 in the same grade.

Full bell line Franklin halves are especially valuable, as they are much tougher to find than typical uncirculated Franklin halves, which generally have mushier, weaker bell lines across the Liberty Bell.