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The Franklin Half Dollar was minted from 1948-1963, with pretty heft mintages each year. Although Franklin himself despised portraits on US coins, the Mint Director promised he was only referring to royalty portraits and he would be honored to be featured on the coin. Franklin has been quoted saying he would rather a proverb be featured so collectors can have something to ponder while holding the coin. Along with disagreeing with portraits on coins, Franklin also disagreed with the Bald Eagle being the national bird. He claimed among numismatist lore, that the eagle was only viewed as a scavenger. Being the logical man he was, Franklin offered the wild turkey to stand as the nation's brave bird. Obviously, he didn't get too far with that idea and the eagle accompanies the Liberty Bell on the reverse of every Franklin Half Dollar.
Benjamin Franklin, distinctly recognizable, is featured prominently on the obverse, with the coin's date of mintage also present. The 1954-S Franklin Half Dollar is in almost uncirculated condition, packaged in a coin flip, and was minted by the San Francisco Mint. The 1954-S Franklin Half Dollar contains a very low mintage, about 4 million. The San Francisco Mint was established almost 100 years before the minting of the Franklin Half Dollar, as a means to helping prospectors turn gold into coinage. The West-Coast based mint still stands, continuously marking its coins with a "S" mint-mark, which can be found underneath the Liberty Bell on the reverse.