From the description: 1000% PERFECT surfaces adorn both sides. Use a neutron microscope and you will find NO flaws of any size, any where.
Color can cover up a lot of sins. That's one reason why coin doctors have used it for as long as I have been a collector.
I like the picture Pickin and Grinin posted. However, I could see the coin had a number of flaws. Without looking at Pickin's pictures. That coin has way to many HITS!!! It's not 67+ plus quality. I started to put of Franklins together back in the late 70's because they were dirt cheap in uncirculated or proof. I still have most of the ones I bought but, just haven't gotten around to selling them. Back then that 58 could have been bought for less than $25.00. I think people seem to forget or don't realize in the 1950's there were a lot of guys collecting coins by the roll. I wouldn't be surprised if there were millions of Franklin half dollars sitting in original rolls or in safe deposit boxes or in the back on someone's closet. I knew dealers in the 70's and early 80's that had them in stock in roll quantity. I'm sure a lot were also melted when silver hit $50.00 an ounce. Personally, I wouldn't pay big money for any coin minted after 1940.
If you check out the past threads, there is a discussion about the grade. The coin was as low as MS 66 FBL Here is a post and video of it as a 66 FBL: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0CJhQMg9mm/ I think the 67+ is optimistic and 66/66+ was more fair. I do think it is one of the nicer toned Franklins (top 10-20) as you just don't see a ton with monster toning. I don't see the toner market collapsing (or at least not at the levels you or others might suggest). The market has been fairly steady to increasing for at least 20 years now. Plenty of new collectors also like toned coins (from what I see on places like Instagram, which tends to represent the younger demographic). And there will always be an eye appeal element to collecting (which toning usually helps). I don't think she will worry much. Legend got their buyer's fee and marketing out of the coin last time. Even if it sells for less, Legend will still earn their fee. Most people will continue to send them high end material as they tend to get top dollar for it (and have the client base who bids on these items). My guess is also less than $100k (or reserve not met if the reserve is near the last sale price). Despite the market being hot now, this is a unique example. Many people still don't think a common date Franklin (even in a top pop holder) is worth that kind of money. There might only have been two people that valued it that high last time and with one of them out of the equation (the current owner), it is quite likely that no one else pushes the price up.
The markets been around for decades, its not going anywhere. It has various levels of strength at various times like every market, but this isn't some new fad
PCGS has the value at 13K. So 10x premium for toning. I'm sure a good chemist could duplicate that and make it look just as natural.
You're probably right, but maybe the right MIT specialist hasn't yet crossed paths with an entrepreneurial numismatist.
It happens to some extent as natural can look artificial and forced toning can look natural, but there's just simply to much money on the line for it to be that easy especially for the monsters
Not sure if it's final but looks like they lowered the reserve and the coin sold at the opening bid of $40,000 (plus 17.5% fees?)...quite a bit less than the $129,250 from 2018!
It's definitely more than I would value it at. I'd say closer to $10k-$15k (and that is largely based on the grade, which many of us think is inflated). Although if I had millions, I might have tossed it at this coin (just to get the bargain price ).