I bought a 1950 franklin half dollar from a friend. It is in fairly good condition (except for a few small scratches). It has JRS engraved just under his bust. But I don't think it has a P or D on it anywhere. My questions are, 1. where would you find the P or D? (because I've looked all over it and can't seem to find it.) 2. How much is it worth? And 3. Depending on its worth, should I sell or keep it? Thanks a lot. -Amy
Howdy Amy - Welcome to the Forum !! With the graffiti I'm afraid it's not worth more than the silver value so I'd likely just keep it. If there is no mint mark on the coin - it is a P. The mint mark is found on the reverse just over top the bell and under the E in STATES.
The marks are very small (about the size of the point of a pin) and barely noticeable. How much would it be worth if they weren't there? (I have a few others that are in better condition, but I have misplaced them ). The JRS doesn't have any significance though? Because I was reading something the other day that made it sound like all of them didn't have it. I don't really know a whole lot about coins, (if you haven't already guessed!). My friend seemed to think it was worth quite a bit though. Thanks -Amy
Welcome aboard Amy. Those are the initials of John R. Sinnock, the designer of the coin. It's true that many Franklins don't have those initials - they have been worn off. There is no ready answer to your question about how much your coin would be worth without the scratches. Value of Franklins is dependent entirely on the condition of the coin, as there were between 2.8-million and 25.4-million of each year/mint combination. Except in the very highest grades, they range from the value of their silver content (less than $2.50) to waaaaaaay under $100.
My apologies Amy - but the way you worded your first post - I thought you were saying the coin had the initials carved into it. Not that they were part of the design. JRS are the initials of John R Sinnock - the designer of the Franklin half and they are supposed to be there on every coin. Can you post a pic of the coin ? There is no way to determine the condition of the coin, which is what determines its value, without looking at it.
I don't have a picture . But the mark that I am talking about is just under the date. Before I bought it from my friend he had taken it to a local coin place to see what it was worth, they told him maybe as little a 3.50, but he said he thought it should be worth a hundred or so. Anyway, I'll hold onto it for now, (I just saw some of the same kind selling for a few dollars on ebay...) but maybe the price will go up sometime in the future. Thanks guys -Amy
Where did your friend get the price of $100? If he knows something that you don't (or at least that you haven't passed on to us), then its POSSIBLE that it has that much value, but 1950 Franklins are usually worth that much only in a very high state of preservation. I am attaching a photo of how nice a coin it must be for it to be worth $100. Please compare it to yours and let us know how they compare. As for the initials "carved" into the bottom of the bust, they should be there on all Franklin halves, and the fact that they are there means little except that they haven't worn away yet. Your description gives the impression that the coin has some wear, which leads me to conclude that it is probably worth less than $5 (the coin shop dealer was probably accurate in his estimate). CJD
I don't really know exactly why my friend thought it was worth more, other than that it is a 55-year-old coin. I looked at the picture you posted, and it actually looks a lot like my coin, the only main difference is the small mark under the date. Anyway, thanks for your input
