1949 Franklin Half Dollar

I would call it a nice MS-63, no FBL. The pro's are solid strike and lots of luster. The con's are the heavy bagmarks.

In order to have Full Bell Lines, the upper and lower bands must be fully struck(slight weakness at the crack is allowed, just as on the real Liberty Bell) and must also be unbroken by bagmarks. Your coin appears to pass the first part but fails on the second part.

Franklins are fun, it is only a 35 coin set with no stoppers so it is completable in Mint State for almost all collectors limited by a budget. You can assemble a nice set purchasing coins like your example, faux FBLs- better than average strikes with strong bell lines while not quite meeting the technical definition of FBL. With a little patience, coins like that can be found for the same prices as coins with average strikes and mushy bell lines.

Thanks for the detailed explanation biokemist6. I'll look for the strike on both bands next time.

I didn't know the criteria for FBL (it was advertised as FBL) but I thought it being MS would carry the value enough over the asking price that it was worth buying.

I agree with MS63 with no FBL. The good news is this date/ mm is fairly common in FBL and carries little premium over non-FBL.

Too many marks for a MS63, I say MS62. Very nice coin! Congrats on your purchase!

I'll be daring and go 64...