🪙 1953 Souvenir Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar: “Aragon Ballroom Ocean Park” #treasurehunting

Welcome back to Bay Area Finds, where we unearth vintage treasures, oddities and pieces of local history. In today’s video I’ve got a fun one: a 90% silver Benjamin Franklin Half Dollar (yes, the classic 1948–1963 U.S. half dollar) that’s been encased in plastic and stamped with “Aragon Ballroom · Lick Pier · Ocean Park” — likely a souvenir token from a night out my grandparents had at the Aragon Ballroom in Santa Monica / Ocean Park.

If you’ve never seen a coin turned souvenir like this, you’re in for a treat. My grandparents snagged this coin as a memento of their evening on the town, and it came down through the family to me — and now I’m putting it under the spotlight.

🔍 What we’ll cover

A close‐up look at the coin: condition, details on the Franklin half itself 1953 Silver Half

The souvenir inscription: “Aragon Ballroom · Lick Pier · Ocean Park” — what that means, where the venue was, and why it adds local history value

Why this type of thing is interesting to both coin collectors and local‐history/ephemera collectors

A value estimate: Is it really worth the high $1,500 listing I found? (Spoiler: probably not that high, but still cool)

My thoughts on how you might approach selling or holding onto such a piece

📜 Background: The Franklin half dollar & the souvenir aspect

The Franklin half dollar series ran from 1948 to 1963, featuring Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell (with a small eagle) on the reverse.
en.wikipedia.org
+1
These coins are composed of 90% silver (for U.S. government‐issue coins of this type) and have long been collectible for their historical value and silver content.
coin-identifier.com
+1

Now, this particular coin has the added “souvenir” flavour — it’s not just a circulated coin, but one that appears to have been specifically marked or encased to commemorate a night out at the Aragon Ballroom / Lick Pier in Ocean Park. I found some research noting that collectors of numismatic ephemera have observed coins from that venue.
nnp.wustl.edu
That local tie‐in gives this coin an extra “story” value — and that’s part of what makes it fun.

💡 Value estimate: What do I think it’s worth?

Here’s where I share my take, based on coin market values + the souvenir factor:

Base coin value – If the coin itself is a typical Franklin half in circulated condition, many guides place the value fairly modestly: for example, one source states a 1950 Franklin half in circulated condition might be around US $15 – $30 (depending on condition) just for standard issue.
coin-identifier.com
And price‐guides show the standard Franklin half series in many cases have value ranges well under large premiums unless they’re in uncirculated or proof condition.
ngccoin.com
+1

Condition matters – If this coin is in very high condition, uncirculated or “gem,” the value could be significantly higher (hundreds or thousands for rare key dates/grades). But in many cases for a “normal” date/strike it’s much more modest.

Souvenir inscription / encasing – This is the “fun” part. The inscription “Aragon Ballroom · Lick Pier · Ocean Park” means this coin carries local history/ephemera value. That can add a premium, but how much? Probably more for the story than for raw numismatic value. Unless the coin is a rare date/variety in high grade, the souvenir factor alone likely won’t push it into the high-thousands range.

Marketplace premium (and what I found) – You mentioned seeing only two listed on eBay and one at $1,500. Just because something is listed at $1,500 doesn’t mean it will sell at that. The real “sold” value matters. Also, listings may include emotional/local value and buyer sentiment may vary widely. Given everything, my estimate for a well kept but not ultra‐rare grade example might be in the $100-$300 range, perhaps more if the coin is in very good condition and the encasing/inscription is clear, original, and desirable. If the coin is worn, the packaging is damaged, or the date/strike is very common, value could be closer to $50-$100 or even just silver melt value + a small premium for the souvenir.

If it is a rare date/grade – If you happen to have a rare mint year, or proof, or high grade Franklin half, then the base coin value might already be high (hundreds to thousands) and then the souvenir factor might push it further. But only in that scenario would a listing like $1,500 feel plausible. Without that, $1,500 seems optimistic.

✅ My bottom line

For your video answer: “Is it worth $1,500? Probably not, assuming this is a standard-date Franklin half in circulated or moderately good condition. But it is worth something — especially as a sentimental/local piece — and with good condition and a collectible market, $100-$300 is a much more realistic ballpark unless there’s something special going on (rare date, proof, high grade). So it’s more of a cool collectible with story than a guaranteed high-value investment.”

Видео 🪙 1953 Souvenir Benjamin Franklin Silver Half Dollar: “Aragon Ballroom Ocean Park” #treasurehunting канала Bay Area Finds