
Ah, the Franklin half dollar! It's a classic piece of American coinage that's worth far more than the fifty cents stamped on it. If you're looking to find out just how much of that worth comes from its shiny metallic content, you've come to the right place.
A Franklin half dollar, minted from 1948 to 1963, contains approximately 0.36169 troy ounces of pure silver.
These handsome coins are not pure silver, of course. That would make them far too soft to jingle around in pockets and survive the rigors of commerce. Instead, they were produced with a composition of 90% silver and 10% copper, a standard alloy for U.S. silver coins of the era. This alloy gave them the durability they needed while still packing a hefty precious metal punch. So, while the coin itself weighs 12.5 grams, ninety percent of that weight is the silver you're looking for. It's the reason coin collectors and silver stackers alike are always happy to find one of these in an old piggy bank.


