Coin Value Contents Table
How well do you know the 1962 Franklin Half Dollar? Can you identify its features and grade it properly to determine its worth? If you find it hard to do this, we’ve compiled this 1962 Franklin Half Dollar value guide for you.
From 1948 – 1963, the U.S. Mint struck and circulated the Franklin Half Dollar to honor Benjamin Franklin, a significant figure in the country’s history. This is one of the reasons why the Franklin Half Dollar has remained highly valuable to this day.
1962 Franklin Half Dollar Value Chart |
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| Mint Mark | Good – Extremely Fine | UncirculatedMS60 | Choice UncirculatedMS63 | Gem UncirculatedMS65 |
| 1962 No Mint Franklin Half Dollar | $18 | $20 | $26 | $85 |
| 1962 D Mint Franklin Half Dollar | $18 | $20 | $26 | $60 |
1962 Franklin Half Dollar Grading
Grading a 1962 Franklin Half Dollar requires precision and expertise that professionals like the NGC can easily provide with their coin grading scale. With this in mind, we’d like to state that naturally uncirculated coins will have a higher value than those in good or fine condition, creating the necessity for a proper grading system.
| # | Grade |
|---|---|
| 1 | Basal State-1 |
| 2 | Fair |
| 3 | Very Fair |
| 4, 5, 6 | Good |
| 7, 8, 10 | Very Good |
| 12, 15 | Fine |
| 20, 30 | Very Fine |
| 40 | Extremely Fine |
| 50 | About Uncirculated |
| 60 | Mint State |
| 65 | Mint State |
| 70 | Mint State |
Please check our grading guides to know your coin scale, It’s the necessary step to know the exact value of your coin.
Check out now: How to Grade Franklin Half Dollar?
1962 No Mint Mark Half Dollar Value
Before proceeding any further, you must realize that a major factor determining the Franklin Half Dollar value rests on the coin’s variety, often deciphered by its mint mark.
The Philadelphia Mint produced the No Mint mark variety of the Franklin Half Dollar. It has a total mintage of 9,714,000, making it a popular variety in the Franklin Dollar Series.
History
For fifteen years, the U.S mint churned out vast amounts of the Franklin Half Dollar, including the 1962 variant of this coin. You can trace the history of this coin to the mint director Nellie Tayloe Ross who long admired Benjamin Franklin and suggested that his image deserves to be on a coin.
In 1947, Ross asked chief engraver John R. Sinnock to develop possible depictions for the Franklin Half Dollar so they could prepare for mintage.
Although Sinnock came up with some designs based on his past work of a medal featuring Franklin, he died before completing these designs, and it was up to Gilroy Roberts, his successor, to complete these designs.
Once the design for the Half dollar was ready, the Mint presented the final design to the Commission of Fine Arts for review. After review, however, the Commission rejected the proposed design because they felt the depiction of the cracked liberty bell would open the Mint to ridicule and mockery.
This disapproval however did not dissuade the U.S Mint from proceeding with the intended design. Eventually, they struck the design on Half Dollar planchets and released them into circulation.
The final design of the Franklin Half Dollar included the initials of the late chief engraver ‘JRS’. This sparked outrage among the press and public because many suggested that the initials were in honor of Joseph Stalin, who didn’t even have a known middle name.
Luckily for the Mint, this controversy died down, and all suggestions for the coins to get recalled subsided along with the rumors.
The production of this coin lasted until 1963 before the Kennedy Half Dollar replaced the Franklin halves. This was because, a year after the 1962 mintage, former president John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This moved the Mint to immediately approve an image of the late Kennedy on the half dollar, bringing the fifteen year run of the Franklin Half Dollar to a halt.
No 1962 Franklin Half Dollar coins were produced in the San Francisco Mint because the Mint closed in 1955 and reopened in 1965. This makes the available 1962 Franklin Half Dollar coins even more valuable.
The Obverse
The obverse of the Franklin Half Dollar coin is the most defining feature of the coin. Here, you will find the image of founding father Benjamin Franklin. His statue faces the right direction with his hair laid back, allowing only the lower part of his ear to stay visible.
To the right of the coin and opposite Franklin’s neck, the coinage year is inscribed ‘1962’. Furthermore, the words ‘LIBERTY’ boldly rounded at the top of the coin with an ‘IN GOD WE TRUST’ finish at the coin’s bottom are inscribed on the obverse.
The Reverse
The coin’s reverse features more details than you will find on the obverse. A significant feature of this design is the detailed depiction of the Liberty Bell, highlighting the crack and inscription on the original liberty bell.
Also, you will find a small bald eagle with outstretched wings featured on the right side of this coin. On the opposite side, the famous motto ‘E PLURIBUS UNUM’ is broken down into three separate parts.
Finishing the reverse design is the bold description ‘UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’ above and the face value of the coin ‘HALF DOLLAR’ below the Franklin halves.
Edges
The edges of the 1962 Franklin half dollars are reeded, meaning carefully carved lines are around the coin. These Franklin half dollar coins have a total of 150 reeds around the coin which also adds to the appearance of the coin.
Details
The 1962 Franklin Half Dollar comprises 90% silver and 10% copper. It weighs 12.5g and currently has a total melt value of $9.1; this is less than the coin’s final value but more than its face value. This coin is 30.6mm in diameter with an ASW of 0.3617oz.
Value
When valuing the 1962 Franklin halves, you must consider factors like the availability of these coins and their ranking on the Sheldon scale.
The table above shows that your no-mint Franklin Half Dollar can be worth $18 if it falls within the Good to Extremely Fine grading of the Sheldon coin scale. For Franklin Half Dollar coins in the uncirculated condition that possess little to no dents or scratches, coin graders set their value at $20, while for those ranked MS-65 grade, $85 is the cost.
Before we draw the curtains on the No mint mark Franklin Half Dollar, we want to announce that the highest value recorded for a Regular Strike No Mint Mark Franklin Half Dollar from Philadelphia is $5,463. This was an MS-61 grade coin sold in 2010 by Heritage Auctions.
Also read: 13 Most Valuable Franklin Half Dollars Worth Money
1962 D Mint Half Dollar Value
Aside from the Philadelphia Mint, the Mint in Denver was the only other mint that struck Franklin Half Dollar coins in 1962.
Thirty-five million four hundred seventy-three thousand two hundred eighty-one coins emerged from the Denver Mint, making it the highest mintage from the 1962 series. There were no proof sets in the Denver Mint as all the coins from this Mint served its commercial purposes.
Value
Although Franklin Half Dollar coins minted in Denver have a higher mintage than those from Philadelphia, this does not translate to a difference in price. Similar to the No mint mark Franklin Half Dollar from Philadelphia, the D mint mark Denver Half Dollar graded good – extremely fine on the Sheldon scale is worth $18.
Uncirculated gem state piles graded MS-65 are often the most expensive and are worth about $100, depending on their grade. The highest price for the D mint mark 1962 Franklin Half Dollar variety is $6,463. This was an MS65-grade coin sold by heritage auctions in 2014.
1962 Proof Franklin Half Dollar Value
Interestingly, the 1962 Franklin half-dollar proof coin has the highest Proof coins mintage of all the Franklin Half Dollar coins. With a total mintage of 3,218,019, finding a Proof coin in this variety is more common than in other years.
The most popular samples of these Proofs are those without a cameo. Those in cameo condition and deep cameo remain the rarest of the bunch, be aware, however, that standard Proofs become scarce when you take grading into account.
Additionally, the value of the average Proof is about $32.
N.B: Other factors may affect this value causing the price to vary.
One of the most significant sales of a Proof without a cameo is an eBay auction sale that occurred in 2021, a Proof 1962 Franklin Half Dollar coin sold for $765.
The highest sale for a Proof with a cameo is $4,600. For the deeper cameo set, there is an auction record that one went on to sell for $9,200 at an auction in 2008.
N.B: All Proof sets are coins produced from the Philadelphia Mint alone, as the U.S. Mint didn’t make any proof set in Denver.
Also read: 13 Most Valuable Kennedy Half Dollar Worth Money
Rare 1962 Franklin Half Dollar Error List
Error coins are no new occurrence in the numismatic world, and they tend to fetch a pretty penny too. With that in mind, here are some errors that have been found on Franklin Half Dollar coins struck in 1962.
1962 Franklin Bugs Bunny Half Dollar Error
The Bugs Bunny error is not only common with the Franklin halves from 1962; Franklin Half Dollar coins from other years are also known to have this error. It results from the imprint on the design on one side of the coin reflecting on the other side.
In some cases, you would find the little bald eagle’s imprint on the reverse reflecting on the obverse just around Franklin’s mouth, making it appear like he has a buck tooth hence the error’s alias, Bugs Bunny.
This error might not be apparent to the naked eye; hence a microscope is needed to detect such errors. In terms of value, such errors add the final value of these coins, and an example is one of these coins that sold for a winning bid of $111 in 2022.
N.B: Factors like rarity and availability can influence these prices, causing them to increase or decrease.
1962 Franklin Half Dollar Struck on 25c Planchet Error
This error is rare, especially since all Franklins are half dollars. However, errors can occur when the Mint strikes a Franklin on another planchet that does not carry the half-dollar inscription. Such is the case of a D mint mark Franklin Half Dollar coin.
While it is unclear how this error happened, the fact remains that this coin exists when it shouldn’t, making it a rarity and a coin of interest for collectors.
Unsurprisingly, this coin’s value went as high as $1,575 in a 2016 bidding war. You can tell that if this coin is put up for sale again, its value will only go higher as many find it to be an interesting piece. The auction price for this coin stands at $825 from 2013 heritage auctions.
1962 Proof Half-Dollar D-On-Bell Error
Errors like this are due to the displacement of an inscription during the first strike. In errors like this, the D mint mark appears on the upper part of the bell. Most of the time, you’d require a microscope before seeing the mint mark on the bell.
This error makes the coin worth as much as $1,899 in today’s market, particularly because it is not only an error coin but also a proof coin which adds to its rarity and value in the collectors market.
Learn more below
Also read: 11 Most Valuable Half Dollars In Circulation
Where to Sell Your 1962 Franklin Half Dollar ?
Now that you know the value of your coins, do you know where to sell those coins online easily? Don’t worry, I’ve compiled a list of these sites, including their introduction, pros, and cons.
Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)
1962 Franklin Half Dollars FAQs
What Factor Can Make a 1962 Franklin Half-Dollar Rare?
These Franklin half dollars are high in mintage, which is quite common. However, some Franklin halves are rare, including a coin showing the full bell lines on the Liberty Bell at the coin’s reverse. They are commonly called the full bell lines and sometimes the FBL Franklin half dollars.
Why is There No S Mint 1962 Franklin Half Dollar?
Most Franklin half dollars from previous years have the S mint half dollar coin, but this does not include the 1962 series. In 1955, the U.S mint suspended coin production in San Francisco because the structure needed more to accommodate the new production methods already available in Philadelphia and Denver.
The authorities reopened the San Francisco mint in 1968 after the coinage of the Franklin halves.
What is the Composition of The 1962 Franklin Half Dollar?
1962 Franklin halves have a composition of 90% silver and 10% copper to aid durability.
