Bargain Collector: Proof Franklin Halves and Buffalo Nickels

FRANKLIN HALF DOLLARS are a fun series to collect, even though they sometimes get pushed into the background when the best of the best among the Walking Liberty halves take the stage, and some high-end example crosses the auction block. Likewise, the Buffalo nickels can be a great series to collect, despite being less in the spotlight than some other series.

Looking first at the 50-cent pieces, we find that among the Franklin halves are a rather amazing subset of beautiful coins – ones that we might find qualify as amazing in price as well. We are talking about the proofs.

From 1950-1956

While the Franklin half dollar series was unveiled in 1948, it wasn’t until 1950 that any proofs were produced. The idea of a proof set of each denomination of circulating coin had been an offering of the main Mint in Philadelphia from 1936 to 1942 but had been dormant since then. In 1950, the folks in Philly got the program cranked up again, to the tune of 51,386 proof sets, all of which included half dollars. Most of these sets have been broken up over the years, and so it’s not too tough to find the lone