Gorgeous, could easily see that higher Look at the hits on the face, nose, hair on this MS66FBL, I like yours better! https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/3C8AAOSwVt1e5~bA/s-l1600.jpg
I actually got it for MS-62 pricing. I'm very pleased. I already had one but this one is a lot better.
Great looking coin as I grew up when those were in circulation so I always gotta have a few in my collection! Second year of issue, great looking coin!
The thing I notice with Franklin half dollars (I do not avidly collect them) is that the bust of Franklin, is lackluster in detail spread over a large surface, allowing bag marks and planchet marks more easily seen by lesser magnification and the naked eye. All the while, there isn't enough detail over that size of bust to cover up said marks. Your coin proves this for me. I try to imagine what coins look like when in hand, and I believe yours would be very attractive, and worthy of atleast 65 FBL. To me it begs the questions, what would the Franklin design look like and how would it look on, say the Dime? Whould they grade better? And Look fuller in detail? On the other hand, I know of a certain purple toned Franklin that sold for stupid money that caused a lot of people to believe it had been overgraded. Yours has fewer marks but no color. Be interesting to find that thread and compare yours to it IMHO.
I feel the same. I have several lower grade sets as that is easily affordable. I need 8 or 9 coins in a high grade with FBL's to have the complete set. Two of them will be very costly. I've. Even working on my Peace Dollar set but a few of the Franklin's I needed were available at reasonable prices.
I remember them in circulation as well. I think they would have gone the full 50 year run if Kennedy had not been assassinated.
I'm rather fond of Franklin's dated 1949. As it is the largest denomination us coin for a birth year set.