I was hoping that one (or more) of the experts on this forum could explain to me why, more than any other series of US coin, Franklin half dollars seem to have a much larger percentage that exhibit dull and, IMO, unattractive toning. I own a few MS Franklins and nearly all of them are bright (what we old-timers used to call "brilliant uncirculated"). Granted, you see toned coins of every series. But, for some reason, more Franklin halves are just - again, in my opinion - downright ugly, even many in high mint state grades. Is there something about Franklins that made them more susceptible to this sort of toning? Further to that point, what is it about Morgan dollars that made them more susceptible to the rainbow toning that so many people (other than I) find attractive.?
Thanks, Insider. I guess that that would make sense since the composition among silver coins is the same. It didn't take me long to find one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-D-Fran...392143?hash=item2a795751cf:g:KL4AAOSw5cNYfV68 As with anything, beauty is subjective. But I find this coin to be just plain ugly. And, lookie...FBL to boot. Thanks. I'll pass on this one.
Agreed. As the old expression says, "Buy the coin, not the grade." As I alluded to earlier, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. Subtle toning can, in my opinion, be attractive. I've got a MS63 1937 WL that has a pleasant golden hue on the obverse. But I see Morgans on eBay with "monster rainbow toning". I don't get it. I don't care for them at all. I certainly can't see paying inflated prices for one. And then there are the Franklins with the muddy gray toning that seems to be so common. They do nothing for me either. But that's just me. I'm a "blast white" kind of guy.
