I've had his for years and just recently came across it again. An old timer once told me the toning came from being in a brown envelope that a lot of dealers used years ago. Thoughts on grade.
J can't see the reverse very well, but does look to me possible for FBL. The coin does appear to be well struck, but that doesn"t mean much coming from me. I'm not a Franklin person, and my eyes have outaged the rest of me.
Long hair does not make Old Ben a she @Paddy54. I like the toning @furham and the crooked die crack below the 9. It is fading nicely, MS-63 probably higher. I hope it is, I like it.
Not a die crack its a bag hit from reeding. When you grow up in a navy town everything is a she.... And back in the day my hair was very long... now white and somewhat missing.... lol
I'm a Navy man also, my hair is white, and my eyes are covered in glass. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for the correction @Paddy54 Be safe and healthy.
http://www.franklinlover.yolasite.com/doubled-dies-1948.php#1948 DDO-001 This should keep you busy. LoL
Gots a feeling all the color ain't coming through on your photog. Those old brown manilla envelopes could produce some outstanding colour. I;ve got some old Morgans and Peace dollars that toned up really well after many years residing in such........most notably, a gaggle of '65 cents I put back as a kid.
Nice looking Frankie, Furham. 48 was the first year of production so the majority were well struck and had FBL. I am anywhere between 58 and 64. Can't really tell what the luster on the high points looks like. Those paper envelopes allow the coin to move, so if they just look flat and don't show circulation then AU64. If they show any parallel lines then AU58. And the right grade IMO.
Thanks everyone. I've always been between 58 and 64. All Franklins look AU to me, but I really don't see anything that would keep it from MS......lol
Remember, the person on the coin may be male but it is typical for a man to refer to something such as a nice coin, boat or car as she. She sure is a beauty. US old guys don't subscribe to politically correct.
The OP coin looks like a low end Unc. to me, MS-61 or 62. But it does not have "the look" that many collectors want. With Franklin haves, it's either bright white or "neon colors." Since I won't pay that much for toning, I've been a "bright white" collector. So far as the toning goes, if you could find a type of envelope that imparts the "ga-ga" colors for which collectors pay huge premiums, you should get a patent for the process. There are many factors involved, which include heat, humidity, what the mint used to clean the planchets, the chemicals in the envelope and perhaps the dipping solution that may have been used on the coin and perhaps not rinsed off completely. What I am trying to say that there is no one type of envelope that imparts the great color. I have used envelopes that produced the kind of color seen in the OP. I stored pieces that should not have been dipped in them to tone them down. It took a few years.
