DC-50c-1959-01 Die Chip

Description

First documented die chip for the 1959 Franklin Half Dollar, this variety preserves a raised bump on the coin where a small fragment of the die face broke away during production, leaving a cavity that filled with metal during striking. The 1959 date holds special significance as the penultimate year of John R. Sinnock's Franklin Half Dollar design, which was struck from 1948 through 1963 before being replaced by the Kennedy Half Dollar following President Kennedy's assassination. Die chips on Franklin Half Dollars are less frequently cataloged than those on smaller denominations, partly because the half dollar's larger die surface distributes striking forces more evenly, and partly because fewer die variety specialists have concentrated on this series compared to cents and nickels. Cataloged by Cuds on Coins with no known cross-reference number, DC-50c-1959-01 establishes the initial die chip entry for this date. The Franklin Half Dollar features Benjamin Franklin's portrait on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse — a departure from the tradition of depicting eagles on silver coinage that required specific Congressional authorization. Philadelphia struck over 6.2 million business strike half dollars in 1959, and the volume of production across multiple die pairs meant that die chips, while not uncommon in absolute terms, required dedicated examination to discover and document among the population of surviving coins.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Silverbug on ebay & Heritage Auction
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References