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 Replies: 26 / Views: 4,544 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1116 Posts |
I'm new to coin collecting and have always been fascinated with half dollars. So when my local coin dealer had a complete Ben Franklin set for sale I jumped at the chance.
Now that the heat of the moment has passed I recently sat down to admire the collection again. That is when the thought got to me. I'm missing something with this set or am I? I've noticed that there are hardly any San Francisco minted coins in this set. So the following questions leapt to the forefront:
- Should there be more San Francisco coins. The only "S" coins that are in the album are 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954. Why are there only 5 years out of the 16 years of this run having San Francisco minted coins? Could this count really be true?
- If this observation is not true why would the album manufacturer omit the other years?
I am perfectly happy with the album but was just curious about this thought.
I'm looking into the possibility of upgrading some of these coins without having to go to the expense of slabbed coins.
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Moderator
 United States
14463 Posts |
take a look at CCF Coin Facts for the Franklin half. It shows that many years there weren't any made at San Fran. Not sure of the reasons, but someone else may know.  Edited by Fuzzy317
04/10/2012 11:17 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Welcome to CCF! The album is correct. Franklins are a fun set!
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
1955 was last year coins were minted at SF until late 60's
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CCF Sponsor
United States
702 Posts |
Ghostrider, forgive me if you know this but be aware of the FBL designation on higher grade Franklins that indicate exceptional strike. They go for a premium over non-FBL coins of the same grade. The Franklin half is a beautiful coin. If you want a truly complete Franklin set, be aware of the recent commemoratives and a couple of my favorite "Colonials", including the Fugio "Cent" (often associated with him because of his role in the design) and the Franklin Press tokens. Fugios can be had in very low grades for $100 or less, but if you want a nice one they're a couple of grand. Now that I think of it, there are also Fugio notes. Again, raggedy can be had for $50 or so, but nice ones will cost you at least a few hundred. If you want to get into some seriously monster stuff, the Fugio Dollar (also called the Continental Currency) and the Libertas Americana medals are the most collectible (and expensive) stuff associated with him - at least that I'm aware of. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
759 Posts |
If you were sold 35 different coins, you're good.
Franklin sets are great. They can be completed in full pretty much at melt for circulated examples and of course, with higher grades and FBLs, things go up from there.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7185 Posts |
My Franklin set was mostly pulled from circulation but now I'm focusing on cameo proofs, I think they are awesome.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3453 Posts |
My husband is a huge fan of this set. His preference is FBL (full bell lines) he chooses his Franklins by lines on the bell as well as the how much of the text he can read on the bell. He has cherry picked some nice coins that are not slabbed based on those two items. For grins (before I knew about the wonderful people here), we sent in one of his picks to PCGS and it did come back as FBL so he has developed a pretty good eye. Another thing to watch is the later years can have a really mushy strike (the main reason he uses how well he can read what is on the bell as a criteria). If you are able to pick up some of these with a stronger strike, then you will be in very good form. You will develop your style of picking and this is a great series to start with. Oh, and  Edited by CoinsKelly
04/11/2012 09:35 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
Muddler, that is a fantastic cameo proof with some beautiful color. 1961 is a very good year for nice cameo Bens and this one is a true keeper.
Looks like an NGC slab. Do you mind me asking what the grade is? I would guess at PF66 Cameo. I think you have posted on this coin before, but either way, its a knockout.
Ghostrider, you got all the San Fran coins. Its a great set to learn about and over time, to upgrade. Congratulations!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
Forgot to add, there are also some fun varieties to keep an eye out for:
1955 Bugs Bunny
1958 Type 1 and 2
1959 Type 1, Type 2 and Class 3
1959D Goiter Die Chip
These are the varieties I chose to include in my set. Not necessary for a complete set... complete set is whatever YOU decide to be complete. I just was depressed when I finished my standard set and wanted more holes to fill, ha.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Hopefully you have them in an Album, not a Folder. Big difference.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7185 Posts |
HONDO, two different coins, I was looking for the best photographs. The reverse is a 1956 NGC PF 66 W cameo, and the toned coin is a NGC PF 67 cameo. The toned coin is gorgeous as the color and reflectivity change with every angle. I'm not sure what the "W" is about on the 1956 other than it is a pure white coin with no toning.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9792 Posts |
Yep the Deep Cameo Franklins are beautiful coins, and some are pretty darn scarce! Rick Tomaska written a few good books on Frankiln halves I remember and might even own a copy somewhere of his first book "Cameo and Brilliant Proof: Coinage of the 1950 to 1970 Era" it was surprising to me his research showed a lot of the later dates in the series were quite scarce in DCAM condition. This was before TPGing firms, so it was kind of a crapshoot as to individual opinions whether or not you had a DCAM proof. The packaging from the US Mint in the 50-through the 60's sure didn't help conserve the high end coins either.
"Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
Muddler, the W does stand for white and indicates no toning at all.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1116 Posts |
When I saw my album sitting in the lcs I really wanted it. It is domiciled in an Intercept Album housed in a binder. I have most of my stuff in Dansco albums, but the more I look at the Intercept the more that I am liking it (personal preference). I believe that I will look for the varities that Hondo mentioned. But I must ask "How did they ever settle on naming the 1955 coin after Bugs Bunny. I'm going to look at the Red Book to determine what the various types are that he mentioned. Hopefully that information is listed there. I knew nothing about these varities until Hondo listed them here. I do wish that I had a digital camera to be able to share pictures. I'm going to my lcs tomorrow with a couple of coins to see if my new purchases are either as good as I think that they are or if they were cleaned. I'm going to try and borrow my son's camera to try and post some pictures. I really do want some feedback on a number of my coins. |
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Replies: 26 / Views: 4,544 |
Posted 04/10/2012 11:17 pm
