Just imaged these recent purchases, I like toned Franklins and these are pretty although not doorbusters. The last item is tossed in for general interest and contrast.
I'm so blown away by the obverse of that last one that I forgot about the toned Frankie's... Absolutely gorgeous. What are the grades of the Franklin's?
The Franks are all MS65, no FBL On the thing at the bottom, the obv. is why I bought it. A gorgeous depiction of Liberty. on the rev. there is some corrosion around and below the date, which is no surprise, as it is made from a very reactive metal.
Nice columbian exposition medal, do you know who designed it?I ask because something about the work looks familiar and I am not sure why. Miss Liberty on this medal is a sort of cross between the Barber series and the Morgan Dollar.
Those two 1959D's are highly attractive, and highly unusual. Gorgeous rainbow toning on 1959 coins, like the first one, is exceedingly rare.
The Liberty Head Dollar, HK-222, was designed by Wilhelm Mayer. Mayer was a sculptor and engraver who was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1840, and studied at the Stuttgart School of Art. He founded the Wilhelm Mayer Metallwaren Fabrik, a die-sinking establishment, in 1860, and in 1876 was joined at the firm by his brother-in-law, Frantz Wilhelm. Frantz Wilhelm was born in 1846 and was an engraver by trade. In 1896, the firm changed its name to The Stuttgarter Metallwaren Fabrik. NOTE: For those of you who like to collect shooting medals, this firm designed many, many prize medals for rifle competitions. Chris
Chris, thanks for that information. There is indeed a "W.M." under the bust. The medal is made of aluminum and is in high relief. NGC gave it a proof-62 UCam. I suspect the corrosion took place after it was holdered. It cost me less than $40, as I recall, and although I didn't see the corrosion until I imaged it, I liked the obverse so much I kept it. As to the Franklins, I think I bought these from Greg "Bushmaster" on the CU BST. Toned Franks are one of my collecting 'sidelines' at the moment. I suppose I lack focus. OTOH, they sure are purdy, as they say down here.
That medal is a sweet deal. I would have grabbed that for $40 bucks fast. Been looking for that and the Ferris Wheel Medal from there too. Nice grabs... Ok back to the Franklins
By the way, I incorrectly listed your SCD as HK-220 and it should have been HK-222. Yeah, I'd say you did pretty good alright! The price guide that came with the updated SCD book lists it as $200-$600 in Mint State. It doesn't have any listings for Proofs. Having that kind of value, you might want to think about having it conserved by NCS. Chris
Thanks for the comments, physicsfan. I had been keeping an eye out for nicely toned ones from 1959 in part due to your threads and looking at your registry set, and also from reading posts by some of the Franklin gurus at CU. It's nice when experienced collectors share their knowledge with the beginners (happens a lot around here!).
That's a good idea, Chris! Do you (or anyone) know if it will keep the same grade once NCS is done with it, or do they stick it into a "problem" slab. (that would sure bite!)
The important issue is that you would want them to address the corrosion without harming the toning. If you do consider submitting it for conservation, you must be very specific about the work you want performed. It would also be a good idea to make a notation on the submission form (in bold print!) that they call before performing any service that might change the overall appearance. It would only go into a problem slab if they found another problem hidden under the toning, i.e., hairlines from a previous cleaning, but if that happened, NGC would be liable for compensation to you under their guarantee since they had already authenticated it. Chris
Thanks for the additional information. This is a new realm for me. It will be interesting to see if they will work with aluminum-- not your standard planchet, for sure!
