Item number: A1361

Year: AD 1963

Material: Silver

Size: 29.4 x 29.4 mm

Manufactured by: Philadelphia Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This is an AD 1963 half-dollar silver coin, part of a series minted between AD 1948 and AD 1963. The obverse features a right-facing portrait of one of America’s Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin. Below the portrait, the initials “JRS” represent the name of the engraver, John R. Sinnock, who completed this design shortly before his death. Interestingly, when the coin was introduced in AD 1948 during the early years of the Cold War, some speculated that “JRS” stood for Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader, due to conspiracy theories circulating at the time.

The minting year “1963” is engraved to the right of Franklin’s chin. The inscriptions “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” are displayed along the upper and lower edges of the coin, respectively, reflecting America’s motto.

The reverse of the coin features the iconic Liberty Bell of Philadelphia, with even its distinctive crack intricately depicted. The wooden beam supporting the bell is marked with a “D” or “S” to indicate that the coin was minted at the Denver or San Francisco Mint, respectively. Coins without such markings were minted at the Philadelphia Mint.

To the left of the bell is the Latin inscription “·E· PLURIBUS UNUM”, translating to “Out of Many, One,” the national motto of the United States. On the right is an image of the American bald eagle, a symbol of national pride. The inscription “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” is engraved along the upper edge, while the denomination “HALF DOLLAR” is prominently displayed at the bottom.

物件編號: A1361

年代: 公元 1963 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 29.4 x 29.4 mm

製造地: 費城造幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚公元1963年出廠的半美元銀幣，其發行時間為公元1948至1963年間。錢幣正面是美國建國先賢之一的班傑明·富蘭克林右側肖像，肖像左下方的「JRS」是雕刻師約翰·雷·辛諾克的姓名戳記。

辛諾克完成這件作品沒多久就去世了，有趣的是，這枚錢幣於公元1948年美蘇冷戰期間問世時，「JRS」還被好事者誤傳為蘇聯領導人約瑟夫·史達林的姓名縮寫。人像下巴的右側打印出廠年份「1963」，上緣和下緣分別是美國的座右銘「LIBERTY / IN GOD WE TRUST」(自由/我們信仰上帝)。

錢幣背面是美國知名象徵的費城自由鐘，連表面的裂痕都有細膩地呈現出來。懸掛自由鐘的木樑上，分別會以「D」和「S」標示錢幣是由丹佛或舊金山造幣廠鑄造，若不帶有英文戳記則是出自費城造幣廠。鐘左側的拉丁銘文「·E· PLURIBUS UNUM」乃是美國格言「合眾為一」，右側則是美國的老鷹國徽。浮雕上緣的英文是美國國名「UNITED STATES OF AMERICA」(美利堅合眾國)，下緣則是面額「HALF DOLLAR」(半美元)。