Franklin Half Dollars? Supply and demand?

ive seen some considerably low mintages on some of these coins but at the same time you can pick up some of the low mintage, higher graded halfs for around 40 Dollars? obv im not talk about a ms-67 1949.. but for most of them you can pick up a ms 63 64 for around 35-45 dollars

I guess my question is why are franklin halfs considerably cheaper then the walkers and kennedys?
Is it just simply supply and demand?

sorry if my observation is completly wrong and i have offended anyone

and Also.. Whats a 1898 0 morgan going for in ms-64?

Thanks
Cc51

 

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I don't think Kennedys are more expensive than franklins.

The real reason that high grade franklins are pretty cheap is because there is more a demand for FBL examples. I got an 1945 MS64 Walker for $50 or so about a month ago, some walkers you can find in an ok price.

 

an 1898-O Morgan ballpark around $72.00 . As for the Franklins yes FBL coins are going to be the high dollar items. Just like Jefferson nickels in full steps. There can be a big difference in price or worth of a Franklin half that is MS-64 to a grade or two higher enter in a coin that has FBL and the price difference could be hundreds of $$$! A Jefferson nickel with 5 full steps the same. As a collector of both Franklins and Jeffersons IMO I don't consider an MS-64 a high grade coin. I would say it's a nice coin depending on its luster and eye appeal. But collectors of both the Jefferson & Franklins would be hunting down grades in the high 60's range and also with full steps and full bell lines.

 

I've noticed the relatively cheap pricing of Franklins in all grades. I highly recommend anyone to collect this series if they haven't already. I had a very rewarding experience completing this series. I'm currently working on walkers now. Just as much fun, but considerably more expensive in higher grades.

 

Proof Cameo Franklin are the most expensive.
1950-55 can cost $3000.00 or more if there Cameo.But 56-63 just PR-66-69 Cameo are reasonable in price
but Ultra Cameo/Deep Cameo that is were the price can get very high for any 1950-1963

 

It sure seems things have gotten touchy around here when someone feels the need to apologize for fear of offending someone over basic questions! lol

I don't think anyone will be offended by these questions. (At least I would hope not! )

I've put together a mostly MS Kennedy half set of P's and D's up to 2009. That's a really nice set to put together for not a lot of money. After 2001 or so, they did not issue Kennedy halves for circulation anymore. They make 3.5 million total and call it a year, every year now.

So these are relatively low mintage, but can be had for cheap 'as they come out.' If you let 10 years pass and then want to find them, then you're going to pay 5-10 bucks a coin. Maybe more for these low mintage ones now. You have to pay well above face to get a roll from the mint to begin with. And from what I understand, it's the only way to get them anymore. When the Kennedy half is finally retired, I suspect the value of the set will go up somewhat.

I'm working on a completely MS Franklin half set now. Some have FBL. Some were cracked out of slabs. They are a little more challenging set. It is not a popular series, but as David Bowers says, that is when you want to be buying a series! There's no reason to wait for hype so you can pay more. If you like the Franklin series than I would start putting a set together and don't worry about it's popularity right now. I can't wait to finish mine. Although I've started to work on my buffalo nickel set a little more lately.

Like you say, the nice part about Franklins is that there are still many high grade examples around. So you can put together a really nice looking set at a reasonable cost. Since reasonable is a relative term, I'll say when I'm done, I could likely trade my Franklin set even up for a reasonably high grade $10 gold Eagle if I wanted to. So it's still several times more than an equivalent Kennedy set but not out of reach for most. There's no killer key dates anyway.

 

I've got one set of Franklin's that I pulled out of the change when I was a kid. The coins range from "fine" to "unc". It was the first series of coins that I ever completed and I'm quite proud of it for that fact alone as most "modern" collectors probably wouldn't be satisfied with the condition of those coins. Having stated that I will say that I would like to start a higher grade 'raw' set and I wish you guys would stop saying how reasonable and affordable these coins are....the words gonna get out there before I can complete my set.

 

recently got some Franklins off Teletrade (slabbed) for incredibly low prices. NGC MS65 halves from the mid to late 1950's for less then $30, one I got for $15. Also, no respect for old ANACS holder 1959-D MS65 FBL for $18. Looks like a 65 too, so I'm crossing it to NGC. So when prices are low, buy!

Eye appeal is important in this series regardless of grade, so buy attractive coins (I did). Most expensive purchase was a NGC 1956 MS65 rainbow toned Franklin for $45.

And yes, I still need to get my camera, and then I'll start posting pics.

 

Is this for real?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300338606806&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

or are some just plug ugly and get #'s attached to them?

 

I'm not an expert on them but that could be a fake slab. I know NGC has older slabs that are similar to that but I don't recall seeing the text in that order on them.

The custom label covering the hologram on the back makes it even more suspect.
If it truly is a MS-65, it is one with very poor eye appeal that will always sell at the very low end of MS-65 scale, if you can even get a 65 price for it.

On the contrary, a nearly perfect 65 will bring good money, and should sell at the highest end of 65 range. I wouldn't even spend a second looking at that auction if I was browsing.

 

I am glad Franklins are cheap. They make a great coin to fill an album collection even if you can't make up your mind about toned or brilliant.

 

Franklins are cool. It was my first set that i put together. The reason is because you can find them in MS grades and still afford them. Its a great set to learn to grade, not the easiest IMO due to the simple design. The plain design is the major reason I think they are not as popular and command the same money as similar Walkers do.

 

I am glad the series is not as popular as others. I really like Franklins and am glad I can still buy the relativly cheap. Kind of like the three cent nickels, less popularity means more for me.

 

Once I finish my proof Kennedy Dansco... I'm heading over to the Franklins. It seems the most logical for me... I want to collect in books - it's affordable, and I want silver.

 

Can someone please help me answer this. I am investing in Franklin Half Dollars (I have always loved coins, Franklin, and Silver). The US Mint says the weight should be 12.5 grams. Some of my Franklins that I have weighed have come in as low as 12.30 grams (they have been circulated of course). Some people on line (one coin collector at answers.com said the standard tolerance of deviation is + or - .259 grams and another article at about.com said that a 1% difference + or - means the coin is not considered authentic). My question is do you think the coins are authentic. Has anyone seen any fakes? The coin feels good, looks like Silver, and clings like Silver when I do the ping test. Does anyone know where I can find the allowable deviation that the US Mint gives. Someone said this is printed in the Coin World Almanac book. I would like to order the book but I live in Germany. Thanks for the help.

 

Thanks for sharing those Lehigh!

 

I used to highly dislike the Franklins very much, for what reason I'm not really sure. One day I woke up loving them completely! I started buying proofs and also mint state coins. I am in no way in the process of completing a set but have some very nice examples. I purchased most of my coins online from some of the major auction houses and they were very reasonable. I have purchased others from a local coin shop that were so reasonable I felt like I was stealing them! I'm not sure if I am going to complete a set at this time but I find the coin very attractive due to its simplicity and availability.