Dime Terms

Here's one for the Dime guys. Looking at a check sheet for Mercury and Rosie dimes. It listed MS and then MSFB along with PRs. Ok, so it's probably safe to assume that PR is short for proof. Thought MS was for Mint State, but FB? Full Bands? Like an FBL on a franklin half dollar is for Full Bell Lines.

 

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FB refers to the condition of the horizontal bands tying together the bundle on the fasces, on the coin's reverse. On well-struck examples, separation exists within the two sets of bands known as Full Bands.

 

Full Bands



Not Full Bands



Hope this helped!

 

Yep

Franklins FBL for full bell lines
Merc's FB for Full Bands
Rosies FT for Full Torch
Jeffersons FS for Full Steps

So why no love for the cent's and their full steps or for Morgan's and their full hair?

 

Although I believe at least one of the TPGs uses FB instead of FT for the Roosies.

 

There are actually three types:
No band (Very common)
Split band
Fully split band (rare)
See if this example helps?

 

Great explanation Guys! Think this deserves a sticky.
-Shrek

 

Thanks for the great explanations. I have been collecting for quite a while and like numerous times going to CoinTalk I learned something new.
I agree this should be a sticky.

 

I think it's important to not focus the entirity of your attention to the middle bands. Personally, I only consider a Merc FB if all horizontal bands (top, middle, and bottom) are completely split. I know others who are fine with just the middle, so just create a standard that works for you. Also, I think it is important to note here that if you are looking for a certified example, different companies may have different standards. I may be wrong, but I think PCGS requires that all horizontal bands, not just the middle one be separated; wheras ANACS doesn't. (Someone please feel free to correct if I'm totally wrong on that.) I don't collect slabbed, so you may have to look that one up, but I do know it exists.

 

Here what a Full bands Roosevelt Dime looks like

 

One of the local dealers here tags some Mercs RFSB for rounded full split bands. Hadn't seen that extra R anywhere else.

 

Dime terms are funny. Some say 10 cents, some one dime. You won't find a US cent that says penny!

 

Here we go again and again and.......

 

Or find a collection book for pennies. They are always Cents.

But Dime, Nickel, other denominations you can find books for them. Even thought they say five cent, ten cent etc.. You will not find a book for a U.S. penny.

 

Because there is no such thing!!

 

Let me ask you something:

Your coin business, suffering a lot isn't it?

No need to answer that, I think we all know it is.

 

Thanks for the follow up and examples guys. Very enlightening to us non dime guys.

 

I nominated this post for a clinker sticky. Good explanation it really helped me to clarify the terms, I had thought that fb and fsb were synonomous. Now if someone could define ft for roosies...

 

While this is an accurate distinction between FB & FSB, be aware that the TPG's only require the bands to be split (not rounded) in order to merit the Full Bands (FB) designation. In essence, this makes the FSB designation irrelevant. To my knowledge, very few collectors will pay a premium for an FSB coin compared to a FB coin.