Franklin Half Dollars

I just got a couple of proof sets with Franklins included ('60 and '62). They are really beautiful in uncirculated condition.

The thing about Franklins is the short run they had - which leaves pretty much any and all options open for collecting them. You can collect these in just about every imaginable form and not be out too much money. (there are some tough ones). This is also one of my favorite coins - the walker being a close second.

My brother collects Franklins and loves them. His best one is a 1961 proof graded PR64 by PCGS. The only Franklin I have is a circulated 1955.

I'm sure it's been asked and answered but...why the short life span of the coin? I thought all coins had to be produced for a minimum 25 years. JFK's death?

I love those cameo,s. I just checked ebay quickly, some are only 5 to 10 dollars more than a circulated Ben. They are stunning. I just might build a cameo set as well. I love those mirror effects they give.

They are compared to the normal ones, but its really the first three years that are brutal. After that you can get reasonably priced ones and they dont start getting really pricey until certain grades for the most part.

I really like Franklins also. I would say that a Walking liberty is a more attractive coin design, but I find Franklins more desirable.

Where to begin, haha.
The Franklin half dollar is my favorite coin. I do not know why, it just grabbed me the first time I ever saw it while flipping through a RedBook. Dont get me wrong, I love all US coins, but the Franklin made me stop and I just stared at it for a minute. Its just the one that stood out and I have collected them ever since.

I started off with an album and have since completed it. I am now working on upgrading it, and using the duplicates to fill a second album.

Right now, my primary collecting focus is a PCGS registry set of Cameo Proofs. What a blast! They are amazing to look at and fun to search for. Like Basebal21 said, 1950 through 1952 are the killers. 1959 is by far the most difficult of the remaining dates, with a few sleepers in Deep Cameo, such as the 1961. There also some cool varieties like the 1961 DDR (oih82w8 mentioned) and the type 1 1956.

If the OP is interested I can post a link to my proof Franklin thread and registry set. Both need some serious updating!

Franklins are a great set that is easily completed with no major keys, but for the serious collector, there are certainly some very challenging dates in high grades and Full Bell Lines. In my opinion, the cameo proofs are one of the most underrated series in the hobby.