Question On Full Bell Lines For New Franklin Half Dollar Collection

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Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 2,339
einstem Valued Member United States 314 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 07:38 am So, I am starting a new Franklin half dollar Collection. The "Full Bell Lines" appears to add a lot of appeal (and cost) to the cost of the coin. But the question is what exactly constitutes a coin with "full Bell lines" because I understand that the two major grading services grade them differently: PCGS - Only requires the Lower Bell Lines to be fully intact. NGC - Requires BOTH the Lower AND the Upper Bell lines to be fully intact. Is this correct? And as a collector, which should I look to follow? How could this impact both the cost of purchase and the value of long-term resale? Thanks. Michael Report this Post to the Staff

T-BOP Rest in Peace United States 18456 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 08:31 am Very controversial question . I have learned that the upper 3 lines are what to look for in a FBL designation . NOT the lower lines . Also those upper lines must be unobstructed by hits ,deep scratches , or wear . Other members will give you their beliefs on FBL Franklins. Yes a Franklin with FBL will have a premium over non FBL . And will benefit in the long run . Report this Post to the Staff
Ham1947 Pillar of the Community United States 1298 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 08:37 am Found this article which explains both PCGS's and NGC's position on full bell lines (FBL) on the Franklin half. http://franklinhalfdollar.org/full-...alf-dollars/ Report this Post to the Staff
nutmeg Valued Member United States 338 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 08:53 am I always thought it strange that PCGS only is concerned with the bottom lines. Report this Post to the Staff
TNG Bedrock of the Community United States 10284 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 12:20 pm I have a BU set and never fully understood how they are determined myself. Had to comment to save this topic. Thanks for bringing it up. Report this Post to the Staff
nfine Pillar of the Community United States 3468 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 12:29 pm The only coins I've ever sold or traded was a set of NGC uncirculated Franklins (MS65), many were FBL. I love the coins received in trade, yet, I regret giving up the set I spent so much time matching and collecting. Report this Post to the Staff
Beefer518 Pillar of the Community United States 887 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 7:01 pm Ham1947's link is what I have also understood as to the FBL qualifiers for PCGS and NGC. I have also read that a truly technical FBL designation also requires the 3 strands of hair wisps at Ben's sideburns have to show separation to qualify. This makes sense to me, as it says the obverse needs to look good too. If I can find the link, I'll add it. Report this Post to the Staff
Beefer518 Pillar of the Community United States 887 Posts	Posted 07/01/2017 7:13 pm Found it; Quote: One of the arguments that old school numismatists have against the FBL designation, and really all strike designations, is that it only looks at one part of the design. Although this part of the design is often the highest, and most often the weakest struck, there are other areas of the coin that must be present for a coin to be fully struck. On the Standing Liberty quarter, purists look at the shield as well as just the head. On the Franklin, purists will look at the three wisps of hair on Franklin's bust, just above his hair. They will also look at Pass and Stow, the words above the bell lines. In fact, early Franklin collectors wanted to be able to clearly read Pass and Stow, to the neglect of bell lines. If all three areas show good detail, then the coin is considered fully struck - not just the bottom two lines on the bell. That is from https://www.NGCcoin.com/boards/topi...-dollar-fbl/ Report this Post to the Staff
Vermillion Flycatche Valued Member United States 97 Posts	Posted 07/03/2017 2:05 pm Sorry in advance for the stream of consciousness here. This discussion reminds me of the importance of a "full horn" on Buffalo nickels for certain grading standards. You could have a full horn and no details on the hair of the obverse or the fur on the buffalo. Figuring out how to evaluate any coin in its entirety is always the biggest challenge for me. I suspected that there were key differences in PCGS vs. NGC grading standards (thanks Ham1947!). In addition to that site regarding FHD, are there other sites to learn about the grading criteria similarities and differences in other coin series? Buy the coin not the holder-but if there are clues to how grades and attributes are assigned and you focus on certain features of coins to make a matched set, then this could be really valuable to facilitate a slab search. Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 07/03/2017 4:59 pm Ham - Thanks for the link. Interesting discussion here. Report this Post to the Staff
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