My Franklin: Agree With grade?

Last fall I submitted 3 coins to NGC for grading, one of which was a 1948 Franklin half. I thought it had a pretty good shot at 65 FBL but it came back 64 FBL. Once I saw it was a 64 I thought at the very least it should have gotten the "+" designation.

While surfing eBay for graded Franklins tonight I came across a 1948 PCGS 64 FBL + CAC. I personally thinks mine looks a lot nicer. On the obverse of the PCGS coin there are some significant marks on the back of Franklin's head and his shoulder as well as a distracting mark on his chin.

Here's the link to the coin on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCGS-1948-S...55?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item5d3df2328b

And here are pictures I just took of my coin:

 

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Sheesh...yeah, at first glance I would go with a 65, or at least a 64+ too - the fields are nice and clean and it seems to have at least average strike if not above-average. Good luster too - seemingly a lot better than the PCGS coin although it might just be the pic.

I guess the cheek/ear area is somewhat chatty on both coins, but I think I'm with you on this one. I'd definately take your coin out of the two.

 

i wouldn't compare your coin to a coin that has been scanned for imaging. i wouldn't disagree with this coin being in a 64 slab.

 

Aw, that's a MS65, you're right. I was just over the auctions on these a little while back. Go over those, you'll see. Very nice coin.

 

What is going on here though?

 

Yes I agree mine shouldn't be compared to scans. And I think my images are better than those on eBay.
I'm curious how you can tell the eBay pictures are scans? I can normally tell, but here I'm not sure.

 

I'm not really sure. I've always wondered whether it was a scratch or not. It looks a little different in hand, a lot less like a scratch. And I figured if it were a scratch that it would probably warrant a details grade.

In hand it almost looks like it may be a strike through or w/e those are called.

 

Do you mean the black mark? If so, that just looks like a luster graze.

 

I wouldn't think you would have any problem getting a green bean.

 

Yeah it doesn't look like a scratch, but I wonder if that plus the chatter on the obverse contributed to an otherwise 65-ish looking coin getting hit another point. Being right in the middle of the coin on both sides...

 

I really like this coin though. If it makes you feel any better, I'd give it a 65

 

Crack it out and send it to pcgs. It is a nice coin.

 

I agree with you that those two factors are probably what held it back, but when I compare it to my other 65's I really think this one could have gone the other way.

And yes, that does make me feel better haha. As long as some one else agrees with me!

 

I might do that once I get more coins I want to have graded. Right now I only have 1.

 

Keep it in NGC, I would rather own it in 64 FBL by NGC (much better guidelines for FBL) than a 65 FBL PCGS. Having it in NGC for Franklins is crucial

 

Your coin is definitely seems nicer than the MS64FBL CAC coin on eBay. I'm surprised that CAC certified the eBay coin.

Your coin is very well struck (as most 1948 coins were). It has a few minor Obverse rim dings above LIBERTY. The fields are nice, but the metal flow appears to be a later die state. The marks (Obv & Rev) are in prime focal areas. MS64FBL seems about right to me (NGC has stricter Franklin grading standards than PCGS).

 

Here is my 65fbl. yours looks nicer than mine.

 

"Ownership is worth a point, matbe 2."

Do I agree with the grade of the ebay coin? Whether I do or not, I've got PCGS and CAC's buyback guarantee's to back it up and thats all I need to know.

 

They probably graded it on a Monday...thats why it got a 64.