http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320514588112&autorefresh=true Also my first PCGS MS-65
Franklin's are the coolest halves ever. It was around during the coolest decade of the 20th century. The Korean War, Joe Friday, Rock and Roll, James Dean, Eisenhower and Nixon. What a coin. You got a nice one.
Thanks, the Red Book has the 1953-s Franklin Half listed for $70, so i beat that by $19.00 bucks with shipping. I will look for more now that i have one.
Congrats on getting your first gem MS65 PCGS coin! Just wanted to say that generally you shouldn't rely on any single source of pricing when trying to determine the value of a coin. You should consult many sources to see what the real value may be. For example, the RedBook may say $70 for this coin, but the Jan 2010 Greysheet lists the coin with a bid of $37 and an ask price of $41. Not sure which guide is more accurate for Franklins as I haven't been buying any lately. Just wanted to point out not to rely on a single price guide because if you're relying on the wrong one you may find yourself overpaying. Alternatively, you may find yourself holding back from bidding on great coins because you're using a guide that has the prices too low. Even then, once you really know the pricing of the coins you're looking to buy, there is more to the equation. For a coin with ton of eye appeal, you may have to and you should be willing to pay stronger than the price of an average coin. Similarly, coins that are unattractive will typically sell for lower than average prices and that doesn't mean they are great deals. Best of luck!
You're exactly right Illini, i was just stating by red book standards, i got it cheap, i have decided not to resell any of my coins in the near future except for the Bsa's. I totally understand that if the red book stated that it is worth 70 bucks when graded ms-65 that i can't expect to get that if i sold it tommorow.
You paid about an average price. The Redbook is not a reliable price guide. I love Franklins, as I'm sure you know. I hope that piece looks better in hand than it does in those pictures though - the spots concern me.
Coin values 80, Numismedia 70, CDN 37 bid 41 ask, so not too bad on the price but as was said above the spots are a concern.
Welcome to the cult of Franklin. You got a decent price on a gem there. A good way to enter the Franklin collecting.
Price guides are inaccurate at the best of times, and with Franklins, you can almost throw them out. Eye appeal is really paramount in the series, probably much more so than in any other series I can think of.
It does seem that way with Franklins. They can trade all over the map price wise. I've picked up great proofs for $10 and encountered people who wanted $20 for AU at best and wouldn't haggle at all. The key is just no to overpay like anything else.
