1951 Franklin Proof - Abraded Die Variety, or Just Great Polish?
winesteven
Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have a real nice 1951 Franklin PR67 PCGS w/CAC whose fields and luster are unusually nice. Many very early Franklin Proofs don't have good mirrors, but mine is unusually nice. I had attributed this to this being one of the first few coins struck from newly polished dies. However, a few minutes ago a forum member was kind enough to PM me with the following:
"It is a peculiar facet of Numismatics that some abraded die varieties command a substantial premium and others, such as this coin, aren't even given a second thought. The die(s) used to strike this coin were severely over-polished to a degree I haven't seen or noticed before on a Franklin Half-Dollar (particularly the obverse), probably the reason why the obverse fields look as nice as they do. even the reverse die shows signs at the Eagle of having been polished heavily.
I think you should come up with a catchy name for it and try to get it attributed. 
Quite a few years ago a not-seen-anymore member, solid, had noticed some Jefferson Nickels which had been struck with an over-polished obverse die which removed most of the throat detail. he used the term "Floating Head" which described it well. other members joined in and found several other coins/dates but nothing was ever recognized. other Jefferson Nickel anomalies came from the War Years with the "S" mint mark above the dome on the reverse. the series was prone to cracked dies and it wasn't unusual to find the crack centered through the "S" making it look like this --- $ --- which was pretty cool. again, nothing ever came of it."
Those of you with expertise - your thoughts?
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Comments
Franklin's glasses dug a big hole in his nose.
I like the reverses that have some re-engraved feathers on the eagle. I do not see any on yours.
To me the photo shows that the obverse was struck from a repolished die, after it had struck enough coins to where the frosted devices had deteriorated to the point where very little frost remained.
Freshly repolished dies produced some of the most stunning Cameos early in the die run. However the frosted portions of the repolished dies wore away quickly, resulting in coins like the one in the photo.
while it's true that Mint employees re-worked dies, polished and pickled for frost, they also just re-polished dies for any number of reasons, most probably to extend die life and produce more with less. whatever the situation might have been with this coin, there should be others with a similar abraded appearance around the bridge of Franklin's nose. it's something I had never noticed before and I suggested to winesteven that he post the thread in the hope that other members could look at their coins and identify more like this.
also, note the loss of detail below the ear and on the portrait above the "R" in Trust.
There should be more like that.... first one I have seen though. I do not have an answer to the OP question though. Cheers, RickO
Can't think of a name for it, but that is some pretty impressive over-polishing. The bridge of the nose, the area of the coat above the R, and the floating curl of hair ... all very noticeable and very prominent tells from the polishing
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
ttt.
An interesting coin... quite a bit polished off.
That's really extreme stuff! Especially for a proof die.
No doubt there are more out there.
"Nobody could coin just one".
Pete
I just pulled out my only 1951 Proof Franklin --- it is just starting to lose detail at the bridge of the nose, shows slight loss of detail on Franklin's coat above the "R" in Trust, faint signs of lost detail in that hair curl and full detail under the ear with some die polish lines.
wonderful example of what MUST be a super scarce abraded proof die franklin.
one of the oddest things to me, not that i've studied them at expert magnification level, is that with the die being worn down so much in the abraded areas, rarely, virtually never, do i recall the areas to be mound-like (obviously raised) because what is low on the die is high on the coin. i'd call it a 99% rule.
and of course, early proof franks are just the berries!
so I looked at the Heritage archives for every 1951 Proof Franklin and discovered several with slight over-polishing evidence in the areas already mentioned. none seem to be to the degree of the OP coin.
The reverse die detail is exceptional. The highest device point of the Franklin reverse is the Bell inscription (big blue circle). The lowest device point is the Divot on the Bell Hanger (little blue circle). Neither of these points shows any sign of polishing. These are the first details to show wear when dies are over polished or overused.
The interior feathers of the Eagle show mirrored surfaces (green circles) but the rest of the eagle shows no sign of wear or polishing.
I suspect this coin was parented by Working Dies that were struck from Working Hubs that received "light" or incomplete presses from the Master Die. Remember, during early 1950, the mint began re-striking proof after a six-year hiatus. These dies were probably a result of experimental trials to work out the techniques necessary to produce quality Proofs. Below is another example of a 1951 Franklin Proof stuck earlier off similar Working Dies:
This "broken nose" is seen on other series, including Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickels, and Washington quarters, though usually not as dramatic as your Franklin. That's an impressive coin you have there.
i think there was a gold coin posted here recently with a broken nose from abrasion/polishing.
here is a neat jeffie. - still can't find my zlincoln that has an official nickname with astonishing polishing!
OH COME ON. after months of looking for the image(s), i literally go right to my archives and click the exact image DIRECTLY after posting the sentence above. weird how things work out like that sometimes.
the linc was mine, the jeffie was not. i think someone else here posted it long ago. or i got it from coneca.