Haven't posted in quite a while so don't know if this is in the right spot. I am taking the plunge, going to attempt putting together the franklin half dollar set, I am waffling on how to do this and this is part of the information I am asking...is it better to find nice coins for a good price, or to spend the same amount of money on one very nice coin and do it that way? also, I have never bought coins online and am a bit leary, is their any particular coin shops that someone can recomend for this adventure? thanks in advance. p.s. I am at work and won't be able to respond to any posts till later this evening but appreciate any info given. be well all JD
While I am not a series collector, I would advise to buy the best you can afford on each piece and slowly build your Frankie collection. You will find that your taste will refine over time and you'll want better conditioned examples. You will also hear that before you spend a dime that you should read up on the series first. That is good advice and will save you money and headache. Perhaps someone can point you to a book on Franklins to begin your journey! Good luck!
Catbert, thanks for the response, just so all know, I have bought the book by tomaska (I probably butchered his name)....
I did both. First over a two year timespan I assembled the best set I could afford. That is a $600 to $700 set and now sits in a safe deposit box. Secondly, I am now putting together a circulated set. Many of them were bought for $5 each. I have 3 left to complete it. To me, the circulated set was more fun and much less hassle. It will probably be worth $175 to $225 when done.
I'm doing a MS set in an Intercept Shield album. It's about 50% complete. It isn't going as I thought it would. It's not as easy as I thought it would have been to get nice MS Franklins. I know there are many out there but there's a lot of issues. Be careful buying from Ebay because some pictures in just the right light and glare can cover up stuff like you wouldn't believe. Sometimes I've bought slabbed ones if I have trouble finding a raw one that I like, and cracked them out. I then remove the label and tape it behind the coin on the album to keep it with it. On more than one occasion, the slabbed one arrived and I decided it was too nice to remove it. So I ended up buying another. A coin show would be the ideal place to look. I just picked up a really nice 55 at the one I just went to. Depending on how picky you want to be, it's not as easy as you would think. There's always some problem. Some discoloration, or contact mark in a bad area, on what would otherwise be a perfect coin. Sometimes I pass just because the bell isn't well struck. I'm very happy with the set I've got going so far. Some I could upgrade, to a better MS but for now, MS is the only goal to complete. A lot of glaring, luster in there! Have fun.
