Handmade Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar Center Punch Earrings

Handmade Sterling Silver Earrings crafted from authentic center punches of a Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar (1948-1963).  These beautiful handmade earrings are made from the middle of a Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar because the outer edge was made into a Silver Coin Ring.   Each Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar Center Punch is mounted on a sterling silver loop wire.  The Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar Center Punch features the Liberty Bell, creating a unique piece of jewelry that is a must-have for your jewelry collection.  
 
This item is custom-made.  It is made when the order is placed.  Please allow 14 to 20 days before this item is available for local delivery or shipping.  Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions about your order.  
 
Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar History (1948-1963)
 
The Franklin Half Dollar was a silver half-dollar coin produced by the United States Mint from 1948 to 1963. The coin featured the likeness of founding father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. It was the first circulating half dollar to feature a historical portrait instead of an allegorical portrait of Liberty.
 
The Act of September 26, 1890, specified that the Treasury Department could modify coin designs without explicit Congressional authorization only after a minimum of 25 years of use. Based on this law, the Walking Liberty Half Dollar design, which had proven difficult to strike, was eligible for replacement in 1941.
 
Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross was interested in using Benjamin Franklin’s image on a coin. After seeing Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock’s portrait of the Founding Father on a medal he created in 1933, Ross had Sinnock prepare a Franklin coin design. Implementation was delayed because of World War II, but Sinnock completed the obverse and reverse models a few weeks before his death in May 1947.
 
In her speech to the public when the Franklin Half Dollar was presented, Director Ross noted that some had urged her to place Franklin’s portrait on the penny because of his maxim “A penny saved is two pence clear” (usually misquoted as “A penny saved is a penny earned”). Her justification for using the half dollar was that the size and the silver composition of the half dollar were better suited to the “impressive effect” that was Franklin’s life.