My Benjamin Franklin Half Dollars (The Smallest Eagle on US Coins.)
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Updated:
5/30/2026
Views: 793
If you stand on the sidewalk on the east side of the 300 block of North Fifth Street looking into the Christ Church Burial Ground, in that city block just above the Church, just inside the fence, next to the sidewalk, there you will find Ben Franklin's grave (buried next to Deborah), then turn around with your back to the cemetery and this photo shows what you'll see; the Philadelphia Mint. This is an interesting coincidence and a, perhaps supernatural, sign that one should have a Franklin half dollar set (if you believe in such things)!
Deborah Franklin is also an interesting story which is never told. Ben and Deborah were married on September 1, 1730, and later entered into a common law contract, just in case Deborah's estranged husband returned to Philadelphia. Ms. Deborah Read was 15 years old at the time of their marriage, and Franklin a mere 17. Deborah had two of Benjamin's children, Francis who died of small pox at four years of age, and Sarah who was born in 1743. It is also clear that Benjamin fathered at least one illegimate child William who would later become governor of the Crown Colony of New Jersey and who remained loyal to the British Crown during the revolution. He was removed from his post in 1776 and imprisoned. Son and Father never reconciled. One of the many, yet seldom mentioned, tradgedies of the American Revolution.
I often wondered had JFK survived if this series would have survived longer too. I imagine it would have. Ben Franklin was probably the most influential American of all time, Publisher, Revolutionary, Diplomate, co-Author of the Declaration of Independence, Inventor, Businessman and Journalist. In fact, one of his biographies is entitled; "The Most Dangerous Man in America" by Catherine Drinker Bowen (1974)-- she is my favorite biographer and she has written several magnificent ones, including a biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes that is the best in the categoy, in my humble opinion. (Yankee from Olympus). Probably of all the founding fathers, Dr. Franklin was the most valuable person in attaining our independence. All of this with his son remaining a loyalist and Governor of New Jersey through part of the War. Therefore, it is more than fitting that Dr. Franklin be memorialized with a coin like this. Over time this set will have a high priority in upgrading to be more competitive.
If you give some thought to how models for the obverses of coins are selected, most are pretty obvious. Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, FDR and Kennedy really need no explanation (regardless of your politics). These are coins where personification is built into the design. Lady Liberty, Mercury, and the various Indian models are stylized, not honoring a person. I suppose that can be credited to the style of the era. The V on that nickel, I don't have a clue, but the Indians on those gold pieces and the nickel I understand. Ben Franklin's appearance is more of a quandary. He's not a President nor an Indian, and he certainly was no "Lady" liberty or otherwise. So he was "governor" of Pennsylvania, and a co-conspirator against King George; so what? Inventor of the Franklin Stove, flyer of kites, and ambassador to France when we needed friends with a Navy and Army (and didn't hurt they just lost a war with the Brits). Upon some reflection, Poor Richards Almanack was the colonial version of the nightly news, and what passed for entertainment for much of the population of the era. Lots of what he wrote there has managed to find a place in our lexicon today. He also published the Pennsylvania Gazette, and is credited with founding the University of Pennsylvania, and made himself one of the wealthiest Americans of colonial times. These attributes are worthy of an image on a coin, but most of us have no idea what this man did other than embarrass John Adams in Paris as he went about with French women at Court while representing the Colonies.
I'm in the process of upgrading this set, as the resources become available. There are several of these without full bell lines and they will likely be the first to be retired. In each of the narratives for each of these coins I made an effort to identify those most apt to be upgraded.
The half dollar coin with his image on the obverse, has an uncharacterically small eagle on the reverse, and is often overlooked. Perhaps this small eagle was in keeping with Dr. Franklin's opposition to the eagle being selected as our national bird is part fact and part legend. Franklin thought the eagle a craven opportunist without much character or anything to commend it for such lofty office. If those are disqualifying characteristics then I fear the halls of our public offices might be sparsely populated. The bird Franklin thought more appropriate to represent the Republic was the Turkey. A good citizen, part of a flock, with character and grace -- unlike the turkeys we too often find in powerful positions today. This puppy makes Teddy Roosevelt's disgruntlement with our coinage fully understandable. Just saying . . .
In looking at other sets of Franklin Half Dollars, I discovered physics fan-3.14's set; the Poe Collection. I highly recommended visiting that collection and reading her/his prepared comments, it is very much a review of the literature on the subject of Franklin half dollars and is useful to us beginners and I suspect old pros as well. The top set in this category is by "Franklin's Corner" and that set has nearly three times the registry points that my set does. In looking over the slots in that set, I was humbled by the quality of many of those coins. That set is worth a visit and I highly recommend having a look at what has to be one of the most magificant set of U.S. coins ever assembled.
Benjamin Franklin was the author and publisher of Poor Richards Almanack. The first edition appeared on December 28, 1732 and ran until 1758; much of its 200 years were before the coins struck in this series. Poor Richards Almanack is an insight into Benjamin Franklin his time, his wit and his values. The organization was very specific and held up during the years of its existence. In 1756 Franklin gave a synopsis of the Almanack, and its organization. I struggled with the best place to put that discussion and finally put it with the Comments on the 1956 coin in this set, I direct your attention there to understand a little more about Poor Richard and his Almanack that is the theme that holds my comments together across these coins. Basically, I am making Nellie Ross' case for casting Benjamin Franklin's image on our half dollar.
In 1914 USC Publishing Company of Waterloo, Iowa reprinted the text of Poor Richards Alamanack and it appears online for all to enjoy today. The first page of this document begins with a review of Franklin's life, the first three paragraphs are reprinted here:
"Opposite historic Old South Church in Boston on January 6, 1706, was born Benjamin Franklin."
"Benjamin was the fifteenth child of Josiah Franklin whose occupation was that of tallow chandler or candle maker." Business was not propsperous, and the Franklin family was reared in very humble circumstances."
"As a child, Benjamin hungered for books and knowledge. During the two years that his father was able to send him to school, he showed remarkable aptitude and industry, and rapidly outdistanced his fellow pupils."
Franklin was critical to the independence of this country, yet most people associate him with flying kites and being around when the revolution happened. Poor Richards Almanack, in large measure, makes the case for Franklin appearing on the half dollar, so much of the comment sections for this set's coins will be Franklin's words, not mine, at least until 1958. It seems to me that much of what he had to say in the Almanack, under a pseuodnym, makes his case for inclusion on our coinage better than any babblings of mine.
This set is completed, but it is a long way from the top. I will devote time and resources to this set in the future. It may never get to the top, but it will keep putting one foot in front of the other in an effort to get there. That's what Poor Richard would have advised, I think!
This journey began on May 19, 2024.
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