Thinking of starting a set of Franklin half dollars. It would be a new series for me and I am looking for insight on the series. Keys, best discovery methods, etc. I prefer raw coins over plastic, so any grading advice would also be appreciated.
When I started mine, I set my goals to nothing below MS63, and wound up with 64+ on them. It's a fun series to collect. Some of the proofs, pre-60s, are pricey and I'm still deciding about adding them, which I may do so I have a complete set. Right now my series is about 50% complete.
Franklins are a nice set to put together at a reasonable price. The 1955 was a semi key coin, but you can still get it fairly inexpensive. It hasn't risen much in value over the past few years. I also bought all raw Franklins. Of course you run the risk of getting a cleaned coin if you buy it online. Obviously look for as many with FBL (Full bell lines). You shouldn't have to pay more than melt for any other uncirculated Franklin. Not sure about proofs, as I didn't buy any. Also, if you get a chance to go to a show, you can find those nice capital holders with a full set in them. If you can afford it, you can get a better deal buying all of them at once.
For FBL, will indentions in the line keep it from FBL, or only clean breaks in the line? Which lines are keys to view and do I need a loupe to ensure?
When I started the series my goal was MS 60 or above. Needless to say I'm liking the looks of 63 and above better and will eventually upgrade those lower MS coins. As for keys, 1949 D and 1950 D are the hallmark "keys" though I find 53 is a difficult year to find a decent example of in my searches (still have the S to fill). For books, I recommend The Complete Guide to Franklin Half Dollars by Tomaska. Electronic version is located here: http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/reference-books/the-complete-guide-to-franklin-half-dollars/. As for grading, keep in mind Franklin is supposed to have 3 curls of hair behind the ear. The cheek bone, ear, and top hairlines tend to show the most wear. I personally don't like a "bald Franklin" so the more hair he has the more suited I am to purchase it. For the reverse, the bell lines, crack in the bell, the words on the bell, and the russ are big areas for me to look for signs of wear. Keep in mind later 1950's strikes became weak and it may be difficult to distinguish these from typical wear. Last words of advice, never forget luster with grading those MS coins, bell lines are NOT key in determining a grade (though are nice), and read this thread for more fun: http://www.cointalk.com/t72184/ Other more experience/serious collectors may chime in, but those are my 2 cents worth. Enjoy your new pursuit!
I think the '49-S Unc is still going for a quite bit more than melt, as are the other '49's and the '52-S, among others
The later proofs aren't bad price wise, some can be had for about $42.50 - $50 raw and another $15 - $20 depending on source for slabbed. The proofs I found to be pricey are 50, 51, some as high $480 slabbed, but those are mid range proof grades 65+. CAMs and DCAMs are up there in price too. Best place to start is pricing and deciding on what fits your budget for collecting. After I finish this set my next project will be 65+ FBL Franklins.
You might want to double check, as I only collect raw coins, but I think NGC qualifies full bell lines for both sets of parallel lines in the bell where PCGS does only the bottom set. (Someone please verify, as I stated, I don't focus on slab classification standards). Fun note though, the original Liberty Bell does not have full lines. As for the loupe, I recommend one, but I'm blind. I'm inclinded to say an indent would keep it from being FBL because it would classify as a "break" in the lines.
I think I've decided to stat collecting this series. I've been watching Rick Thomaska(sp) on a coin show. He's on every couple of weeks and insists the Franklin's in high grades have the most potential for growth in value of anything still reasonable. The pops on the higher grades are very low, making them rare. Do collectors here agree? Will these be highly sought after, hard to get coins or will they just be rare without any demand for them?
I have a completed date set of Franklins. 1948 P&D, 1949 P, 1950 D, 1951 D&S, 1952 P, 1953 D, 1954 P, 1955 P, 1956 P, 1957 D, 1958 D, 1959 D, 1960 P, 1961 D, 1962 P, 1963 P&D. The unc. one in plastic is a 1955 P. I know a place in Flint, Mi where you can get coins cheap. PM me for details. LOL.
