1955-P Franklin Half Dollar
Semi-keyThe lowest mintage of the entire series, and the only issue struck that year: neither Denver nor San Francisco produced half dollars in 1955. It also carries the series' best-known variety.
Mintage
- Business strikes
- 2,498,181
- Mint
- Philadelphia (no mintmark)
- Mintage rank
- 1 of 35
- Proofs struck
- 378,200
Rank 1 is the lowest business-strike mintage in the series. Mintage is what the Mint produced, not what survives. These circulated as money into the 1960s and were pulled out and melted in quantity once silver rose above face value, none of it recorded by date. On this series, strike quality separates the difficult coins entirely; mintage does not.
Reading the figure
It is the smallest of the 16 Philadelphia issues in the series. It is the only issue of the series struck in 1955. The series median is 8,290,000, so fewer than half as many of these were struck as a typical date. Series-wide output fell that year: 2,498,181 against 43,627,182 in 1954. 1955 was the smallest production year of the entire series. In 1955 the coin was struck at Philadelphia; Denver and San Francisco struck none.
Every sentence above is computed from the mintage table on this page, not asserted separately.
About this figure
Some published tables add that year's proofs into the Philadelphia figure. This catalog reports business strikes only, consistent with every other entry, and shows proofs separately.
Scarcity tier
Semi-key
Assigned from reported mintage alone: under 750,000 is a key date, under 2,500,000 is a semi-key.
This is a reproducible label derived from the mintage column, not a market valuation and not a Coin Curator price opinion. The same thresholds apply to every series on this site. Several dates are far harder or far easier to obtain than their mintage implies; where that is true, it is stated above.
Documented varieties
Bugs Bunny
A die clash left marks across Franklin's mouth that read as protruding front teeth, giving the variety its name. Common enough to collect, and caused by the dies striking each other rather than by any deliberate change.
Widely recognised varieties only. The VAM reference catalogs thousands of die marriages across these series; the absence of a variety here does not mean none is documented elsewhere.
Full Bell Lines is a strike designation, not a grade. The reverse shows the Liberty Bell, and the horizontal lines across its lower rim are the last detail to strike up. Read the full note on the series page.
What to check before buying
Specific to the 1955-P:
- 1The Bugs Bunny marks come from a die clash and appear on many 1955 halves in varying strength; a certification label should say whether the coin is attributed as the variety.
And for any certified coin
Verify the certification number on the grading service’s own lookup rather than from a photograph of the label, match the listing images to the certification record including grade and any variety attribution, look for cleaning, compare the mintmark against published photographs of the genuine issue, and read the return policy before buying. The grading guide covers each of these in full.
Coin Curator does not grade, authenticate, or appraise coins, and publishes no price or population data. These are verification steps, not a valuation.
Verify a certification number
Look a 1955-Pcertification number up on the service’s own site. A photograph of a label proves nothing.
Each service publishes its own guarantee with conditions and exclusions. Compare PCGS, NGC and ANACS.
Find a 1955-P for sale
Opens an eBay search for this exact date and mint. Coin Curator does not list inventory, hold stock, or quote prices; verify each listing, seller, and return policy directly.
Affiliate link: Coin Curator may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Disclosure.
Common questions
How many 1955-P Franklin half dollars were minted?
The Philadelphia Mint struck 2,498,181 1955-P Franklin half dollars for circulation. That is the 1st lowest business-strike mintage of the 35 date and mintmark combinations in the series.
Is the 1955-P Franklin half dollar a key date?
Coin Curator labels it a semi-key, assigned from reported mintage alone: under 750,000 struck is a key date and under 2,500,000 is a semi-key. The same thresholds are used for every series on this site, so the tiers are comparable between them. That label describes production, not market value or how hard the coin is to find today. The lowest mintage of the entire series, and the only issue struck that year: neither Denver nor San Francisco produced half dollars in 1955. It also carries the series' best-known variety.
What varieties exist for the 1955-P Franklin half dollar?
Widely recognised varieties for this issue include Bugs Bunny. A die clash left marks across Franklin's mouth that read as protruding front teeth, giving the variety its name. Common enough to collect, and caused by the dies striking each other rather than by any deliberate change. Variety attributions should appear on the certification label rather than only in a seller's description.
What should I check before buying a 1955-P Franklin half dollar?
Verify the certification number on the grading service's own lookup page, match the listing photographs to the certification record, check for cleaning, and compare the mintmark shape and position against published photographs of the genuine issue. The Bugs Bunny marks come from a die clash and appear on many 1955 halves in varying strength; a certification label should say whether the coin is attributed as the variety.
Why do sources give different mintage figures for the 1955-P?
Some published tables add that year's proofs into the Philadelphia figure. This catalog reports business strikes only, consistent with every other entry, and shows proofs separately.
Related dates
Guides for this coin
All guides →Junk Silver vs Graded Silver: Which Is the Better Hold?
Pre-1965 US silver coins (junk silver) trade on melt value plus a small premium. Graded examples of the same coins trade on numismatics. Which strategy actually wins long-term?
1 min readPractical GuideBuilding a US Type Set
Build a U.S. type set by defining the included designs, grade targets, verification rules, and a current coin-by-coin budget.
2 min readEducationError Coins: Types, Attribution, and Verification
Learn the difference between off-center strikes, doubled dies, mules, broadstrikes, and post-mint damage, plus the records to check before buying.
1 min readBuying GuideHow to Spot a Counterfeit or Doctored Coin
Use weight, dimensions, surfaces, mintmark details, holder inspection, and certification records as screening checks. Learn the warning signs of altered coins and fake slabs.
1 min readMintage sources
Mintage figures are U.S. Mint production records, cross-checked against the published tables below on 2026-08-01. Where those tables disagree, the disagreement is disclosed on the affected page rather than resolved silently.
- CoinMintages.com, Franklin half dollar mintages — Business strikes and proofs listed separately. Used as the business-strike figures here.
- USA Coin Book, Franklin half dollar — Independent table. Agrees on every branch-mint issue; its Philadelphia figures from 1950 on include that year's proofs.
Spotted an error? Submit a correction.