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Franklin Half Instructional Series #9: 1951D Half Dollar
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Franklin Half Instructional Series #9: 1951D Half Dollar.
This is the ninth installment of my instructional series on Franklin Halves. As I have time, I will add an excerpt on one of the coins of the series, and hopefully those of you who are interested in Franklins will add your own observations and pictures. By the end of the series we should wind up with a pretty comprehensive study of the Franklin series, along with some nice pictures as well. And who knows, maybe some other folks will do the same for other series!
Sources for this series generally include “An Analysis of Gem Franklins” by Jack Ehrmantraut and “The Complete Guide for Franklin Halves” by Rick Tomaska – two books which I feel every serious Franklin collector should read
1951D
The 1951D half is one of those issues that is sure to break your heart if you’re ever trying to find a nice raw coin for your collection. Although it has a sizeable mintage of 9,475,200 and is one of the better struck coins in the series, it is one of the worst coins for bag marks in the entire series, thereby making even MS64FBL coins desirable. In addition to the poor handling characteristics of this issue, most gem pieces encountered exhibit ugly dark grey or speckled brown toning. Luster on the coins also tends to be below average, about the same as 1950D issues, thus making toned coins look dull and lifeless. Although, as mentioned in past Instructional Series entries, the master die was starting to wear down, the 51D, along with subsequent strikes from the Denver mint from 51-54, are among the best for the series. My assumption for this is that for some reason Denver was using more pressure in their presses than the other two mints. For this reason, 51D coins tend to be fully defined with very crisp details and very strong bell lines.
Current population numbers from PCGS read as follows:
MS63 and lower 166 in non FBL and 77 in FBL
MS64 - 365 in non FBL and 653 in FBL
MS65 - 87 in non FBL and 368 in FBL
MS66 - 1 in non FBL and 35 in FBL
MS67 – 0 in FBL
The population reports confirm the fact that high grade pieces in pristine condition are hard to come by, however, FBL coins are available due to the excellent strike features for this date. I personally would avoid non-FBL pieces, as invariably they will be designated as such because of dings on the bell line. An MS64FBL piece can often be found for less than $100, while MS65FBL pieces will generally run anywhere from $175 to $300. Multiply that price tenfold, and you will get the price range for MS66FBL pieces, again, scarce because of the poor handling characteristics. Ehrmantraut notes in his book that even mint set pieces will often be found extremely bagmarked, theorizing that mint employees took little care to handle mint set pieces with care. Blast white coins, or coins with very eye appealing characteristics will command a significant premium over average toned pieces. For more information on this date you can look the coin up in the Coinfacts page, which also sites significant sales appearances over the past few years. This information can be found HERE. I will continue to post the COINFACTS site for reference, but I am in no way promoting their products or services.
The 1951D half in my opinion is an extremely underrated coin in the series, and if you can find a pleasing example of the coin in MS64FBL or above, it represents a very worthwhile acquisition. White pieces or coins with very nice eye appeal should be considered rarities in this issue. Have fun collecting Frankies!
1951D MS65FBL Halves:
1951D MS66FBL Halves:
This is the ninth installment of my instructional series on Franklin Halves. As I have time, I will add an excerpt on one of the coins of the series, and hopefully those of you who are interested in Franklins will add your own observations and pictures. By the end of the series we should wind up with a pretty comprehensive study of the Franklin series, along with some nice pictures as well. And who knows, maybe some other folks will do the same for other series!
Sources for this series generally include “An Analysis of Gem Franklins” by Jack Ehrmantraut and “The Complete Guide for Franklin Halves” by Rick Tomaska – two books which I feel every serious Franklin collector should read
1951D
The 1951D half is one of those issues that is sure to break your heart if you’re ever trying to find a nice raw coin for your collection. Although it has a sizeable mintage of 9,475,200 and is one of the better struck coins in the series, it is one of the worst coins for bag marks in the entire series, thereby making even MS64FBL coins desirable. In addition to the poor handling characteristics of this issue, most gem pieces encountered exhibit ugly dark grey or speckled brown toning. Luster on the coins also tends to be below average, about the same as 1950D issues, thus making toned coins look dull and lifeless. Although, as mentioned in past Instructional Series entries, the master die was starting to wear down, the 51D, along with subsequent strikes from the Denver mint from 51-54, are among the best for the series. My assumption for this is that for some reason Denver was using more pressure in their presses than the other two mints. For this reason, 51D coins tend to be fully defined with very crisp details and very strong bell lines.
Current population numbers from PCGS read as follows:
MS63 and lower 166 in non FBL and 77 in FBL
MS64 - 365 in non FBL and 653 in FBL
MS65 - 87 in non FBL and 368 in FBL
MS66 - 1 in non FBL and 35 in FBL
MS67 – 0 in FBL
The population reports confirm the fact that high grade pieces in pristine condition are hard to come by, however, FBL coins are available due to the excellent strike features for this date. I personally would avoid non-FBL pieces, as invariably they will be designated as such because of dings on the bell line. An MS64FBL piece can often be found for less than $100, while MS65FBL pieces will generally run anywhere from $175 to $300. Multiply that price tenfold, and you will get the price range for MS66FBL pieces, again, scarce because of the poor handling characteristics. Ehrmantraut notes in his book that even mint set pieces will often be found extremely bagmarked, theorizing that mint employees took little care to handle mint set pieces with care. Blast white coins, or coins with very eye appealing characteristics will command a significant premium over average toned pieces. For more information on this date you can look the coin up in the Coinfacts page, which also sites significant sales appearances over the past few years. This information can be found HERE. I will continue to post the COINFACTS site for reference, but I am in no way promoting their products or services.
The 1951D half in my opinion is an extremely underrated coin in the series, and if you can find a pleasing example of the coin in MS64FBL or above, it represents a very worthwhile acquisition. White pieces or coins with very nice eye appeal should be considered rarities in this issue. Have fun collecting Frankies!
1951D MS65FBL Halves:
1951D MS66FBL Halves:
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Comments
Capped Bust Half Series
Capped Bust Half Dime Series
You are doing well, subject 15837. You are a good person.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
superb please keep these coming
you might want to save all these and make a book out of them along with the photos!
i give this thread 5 stars up!!
michael
When is series 10 coming out?
<< <i>Nice thread! I must admit I'm a closet collector of Franlkins...
When is series 10 coming out? >>
Come out of the closet proudly like Mark Feld did!!!!
Hopefully I'll get #10 done this weekend
This is a tough date as you stated. I have a really sweet 51-D that took a while to find. Went through a lot of junk before I did. Here's a lousy pic of it. Some day, I'll get a digital camera
Capped Bust Half Series
Capped Bust Half Dime Series
Capped Bust Half Series
Capped Bust Half Dime Series
1951-D ANACS MS65 FBL
Franklin experts, tell me your opinions?
Thanks,
-mark
Photos of the 2006 Boston Massacre
TTT for the day shift.
Photos of the 2006 Boston Massacre
Poop on those that dont tell you your doing a fantastic job at it ...
they are just jelous
In Memory of Frank...
Currently Listed: Nothing
Take Care, Dave
I would be interested to see a thread on proof franklins.
CONECA #N-3446