Amy is REALLY getting into coins! She found this Franklin half, reserched the grade, checked the current greysheet and bought it for $60. I think it will grade very high. Please look at the photo and let us know how you think she did. I also want to use a good grading service as I think it's one of the nicest 1953s I've seen. Would you go with PCGS over NGC? Thanks for any advise! Ben and Amy (Yokozuna and Akojen)
Nice coin, wheres the S ? I think you might have gotten this for a steal price. I realized he means 1953's as in plural
You might try to contact Physics-fan3.14 since he has a super nice NGC Registry Set of Franklins. I'm sure he could offer you some advice. Congratulations, Amy! Chris PS. Don't be offended, Ben, but I have to complain about the width of this thread. It's too wide and I have to scroll back and forth. Some of us have expressed our concerns about this, but it seems that nothing is being done about it. From now on, I will be posting this or a similar comment on every thread that is too wide. I've got to find some way to get somebody's attention. -CPM
First nice coins. It looks like it has some nice luster and I prefer PCGS over NGC, but use which ever one I can. Now - CPM - Why are you scrolling? The minute I see a picture like this I just click on it and let it expand so I can see it on one page - then close it. To me this is the same as getting thumbnails from photobucket on the old site. You still had to click on them.
i am in the same boat as cpm. we are not clicking on them, they are originally to big. its like the software isn't sizing the file down.
Like Panda said, clicking on the photo to enlarge it and then closing it does no good. It does not resize the thread to normal size. There are more than a few of us who have to scroll back and forth. Chris
I would say ms-66 fbl. I would say the blemish on his cheek prevents a superb gem grade. But otherwise the fields look flawless and dripping with luster.
You got a solid MS-65, possible one point higher, but that's going to be up to the grader with the coin "in hand" plus being able to read Pass & Stow from this distance is the signature of a good strike. Need to know something, the top line of the bottom set to the left of the clapper, is it incused all the way across or at one point is the bell line bridged over? Hint: NGC requires both sets of lines to be full while PCGS only requires the bottom set to be full and uninterrupted.
The OP asked me to comment on this Franklin, at Chris' suggestion. First, this is from my Registry set description of 1953: The 1953P has the second lowest mintage of the entire Franklin series, although it has not been promoted quite as heavily as the 1955. This issue is very scarce in FBL – it is one of the poorest struck dates in the whole series, and rivals the 61, 62, and 63 P mint Franklins in difficulty. The 1953P more often closely resembles its sister San Francisco minted coins. Ehrmantraut says that no FBL coins came from mint sets – and theorizes that the entire mintage of 15k mint set Franklins probably came from a single die with low pressure. Luster is generally average, although Chiong calls it of the “frosty/grainy” variety. Bagmarks also tend to be heavier than normal. Good color is very scarce on the 1953P, especially on a well struck coin. Finding one of these is truly difficult! Now to the OP's coin: That is by far one of the nicest 1953's I have ever seen. If the pictures can be trusted (another topic altogether), I would grade that coin 66FBL+. The surfaces appear nearly flawless, the bell lines are incredibly strong for the date, the luster shines, and there doesn't appear to be a spot on the coin. Now here's the caveat: Pictures can be very decieving!!!!! In hand, the coin may be totally different. You'll have to give us a better idea when you get it. Based on those pictures, I would highly recommend submitting to NGC. You will have no problems at all getting FBL there. NGC is held in much higher regard among Franklin enthusiasts, because their standards for FBL are much stricter. Whatever happens, please keep us informed as this may be a great steal on your part!
The coin is here and it is just as good as the photos, if not better! I can see the lines all the way across the bell AND read almost all of the text on the bell! It's the best looking coin I've ever seen! I've never seen this much luster on any coin. Amy and I are going NUTS and we can't wait to see the grade. Could it be that Amy got a MS66+FBL for $62.55 (Shipping was $2.50) on the first coin she researched and bought? I may pass out now. I'll have it graded A.S.A.P. and pass on the score to you! Any idea of value if it hits MS66 or MS67 FBL? Ben
