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The 1953-S Franklin Half Dollar contains one of the lower mintages of the series, with just about 4 million made. The San Francisco Mint has placed a "S" mint-mark underneath the Liberty bell on the reverse. Benjamin Franklin played a key role in the nation's independence, beyond establishing the nation as new and succeeding from England. Although he was incredibly instrumental in the creation of the Constitution, Franklin also led the US towards colonial unity. Rightfully earning the title of , "The First American," Franklin campaigned early on for colonial unity while still in England and supported that idea even more when he was the Ambassador to France. He envisioned American as a self-governing, hard-working, educational, community minded country, apart from the authoritarianism that came from England. For many, Franklin was the face of independence and a very prominent leader in the Revolution. It would be a couple of hundred years before Franklin's face would make it onto US currency.
Nellie Tayloe Ross was the Mint Director, from 1933-1953, and held a high admiration for Franklin. She fought to have his face on any US coin for years but it wasn't until the Walking Liberty Half Dollar could be retired that it was actually considered. The Mint Engraver, at the time, John R. Sinnock, had designed a few different Franklin coins in the past and used those as the base for the new design. Sinnock would pass away before the design was finished, but his apprentice was able to complete the Franklin Half Dollar.