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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dimeguy, post: 1174283, member: 19855&quot;]When I started the series my goal was MS 60 or above. Needless to say I&#039;m liking the looks of 63 and above better and will eventually upgrade those lower MS coins. As for keys, 1949 D and 1950 D are the hallmark &quot;keys&quot; though I find 53 is a difficult year to find a decent example of in my searches (still have the S to fill). For books, I recommend The Complete Guide to Franklin Half Dollars by Tomaska. Electronic version is located here: <a href="http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/reference-books/the-complete-guide-to-franklin-half-dollars/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/reference-books/the-complete-guide-to-franklin-half-dollars/" rel="nofollow">http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/reference-books/the-complete-guide-to-franklin-half-dollars/</a>. As for grading, keep in mind Franklin is supposed to have 3 curls of hair behind the ear. The cheek bone, ear, and top hairlines tend to show the most wear. I personally don&#039;t like a &quot;bald Franklin&quot; so the more hair he has the more suited I am to purchase it. For the reverse, the bell lines, crack in the bell, the words on the bell, and the russ are big areas for me to look for signs of wear. Keep in mind later 1950&#039;s strikes became weak and it may be difficult to distinguish these from typical wear. Last words of advice, never forget luster with grading those MS coins, bell lines are NOT key in determining a grade (though are nice), and read this thread for more fun: <a href="http://www.cointalk.com/t72184/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.cointalk.com/t72184/">http://www.cointalk.com/t72184/</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Other more experience/serious collectors may chime in, but those are my 2 cents worth. Enjoy your new pursuit![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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