POLL: Which half dollar do you prefer- Barbers or Franklins?

lclugza

And I would appreciate it if you would tell me why you prefer Barber halves or Franklin halves.

Dog97

Barbers for sure. Why? Because Franklin halves weren't minted in 1897. I could still collect Franklins anyway I guess but I don't really care much for Modern stuff.

Russ

Not much to choose from.

Russ, NCNE

Dog97

Bum.

jeffnpcb

BUST HALVES only!! They have character and charisma!! Tired of seeing Miss Liberty and chrome top's dominating the forums. CRAP, Barbers look like mini Morgan dollars{DUH} and Franklin collectors are so pickey with their FBL's and splotched or mottled toning! Haven't seen a preety one yet!!
Russ, Post a Proof Dcam with accented hair!! That's the only half worth looking at in the 20th. century!!!!!

barberlover

Barber coins ere the last coins minted in the 19th century and first coins minted in the 20th century.

Barber halves as a series are the last truely classic series that is both rare & affordable in mint state, with all due respect to walkers or franklins which for the most part are not rare except for a handful of dates. Les

please don't put the troll doll up on me Lucy.

greghansen

Ha-Ha! I got in the first vote for Franklins before Lucy showed up!!!

ANACONDA

Ben was a great guy but not very physically attractive. (Some might say, no amount of polish can change a turd into a golden nugget.)

Classic design, like Liberty on the Barber Half is well... classic. It's like Cartier or Mercedes. It's just good design. The basis of good art is design.

Legend

I can't believe it-BARBERS ARE WINNING!!!!

copperhead

Barbers for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!! Franklins are so plain, not much detail. Just my opinion!!

ksteelheader

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barberlover

Thanks guys, i'll pay you as soon as i get back to work again. Les

Elcontador

Sorry, I got rid of my Franklin Halves 3 years ago because I just didn't like looking at them; even the PFs & the MS coins (a few were in the 64-5 range). Ben was one of the most interesting citizens of our country, but IMO, his image on coinage just doesn't cut it. I'd rate the Franklin Half right there with the SBA.

I'm not slamming anyone who likes / collects Franklin Halves; I just do not like the series. OTOH,
it's hard to find an attractive Unc. Barber Half of ANY mint and / or date. I prefer earlier coins,
but if you're comparing Franklins with pretty much anything else, to me, the other coin is more
attractive almost be default.

ANACONDA

Jeff - there's a few nice Franklins out there, but i agree, they're mostly either white and boring or have toning that is less than spectacular.

rainbowroosie

Sorry purists, but the Barber design was the Susan B. Anthony of the 19th century...a DCAM frankie is cooler than a DCAM Barber...not nearly as rare, not nearly as valuable, but MUCH more attractive.....Same with a wild toned frankie....

pmh1nic

Both

nwcs

Walkers are the best, but here are two franklins I really like! And they are MINE!!!

1955 MS65 REV
1955 MS66FL REV

boiler78

I prefer Morgan half dollars

ANACONDA

Here's a cool one:

Zerbe

This is easy for me. Barbers of course.
My Barbers

ANACONDA

Boiler - do you own that pattern half? Very, very cool. Looks like a DCAM or UCAM.

What is it worth?

What is it's grade.....PCGS Proof 65 or 66?

kranky

Barbers. I like the reverse. Franklins (to me) are just unattractive and bland.

wallstreetman

Exactly why you want to collect Franklins, find a nice one and it stands out!

boiler78

Anaconda- It is a PCGS proof 67dcam and to me its priceless

ARCO

Not even in the same comparative universe. Barbers were circulated, worn, and spent as part of life at the junction of the victorian and modern eras. They are scarcer in all grades above AG (actually Franklins are not found too often worn down below VG) to about the 100th power.

Franklins look nice uncirculated, but would be a much better coin if someone at the mint presses had actually put a little pressure on them to get more than some fuzzy detail. No ornate features, like olympian circular geometry and inner rim denticles.

Go Get a bag a $1000 face junk silver and see what is inside!

Tyler

wallstreetman

Thats why bell lines that jump out at you create excitement!

Casey

Barbers because of the classic design, and especially the reverse.

Coulport

Beauty and the Beast come to mind.

Tough luck Ben.

Mrpawn

They are both pretty ugly. I much prefer Seated halves as well as the Bust series. The Standing Liberty was good also.

LucyBop

More Winged Libertys for me!

topstuf

Barbers. But only with full split eagle butt.

Oldtrader3

I happen to like Franlin Halves but artistically, they leave something to be desired. I never thought that I would pick Barber over anyone!

Merc

I actually like the barber better but they are so much more expensive uncirculated that the Franklins. I mostly have Franklins because of the price. Now I see the populations of MS65 Franklins has come up drastically in the past 3 years while the Barbers are still low. I'm thinking of selling off the Franklins. I'm afraid they will keep going down in value.

michael

please see my post to this thread on the ngccoin.com boards

quite an eye opener if i do say so myself................LOL

could someone post a link to it?????

thanks! sincerely michael

michael

as per the above quite controversial.................lol

sincerely michael

MadMonk

I love Franklins more for some odd reason. But, I have to stress that eye appeal is a must for me, and Franklins are a tough series when it come to eye appeal. Toning is the thing that does it for me, as well as a nice original, clean and even patina. Barbers are really nice, especially when technical merit is considered. The coins were extremely resistant to wear, but the art is unproportional, and amateurish. Barber was a true craftsman though, and put a lot of effoert into ease of production, and durability.

BillJones

Both the Franklin and the Barber half dollars are bland coins, but the Barber wins out because it is some much harder to find in choice Mint State condition. Teddy Roosevelt called the Barber designs as well as all of the coins of that era “atrociously hideous.” I would not go that far, but I would label them as little better than “serviceable,” which is the damning type of praise that is often given to run-of-the-mill actors and fast food restaurants.

The Franklin coin is dull and lacks detail, which was a common fault of the coins of its era. The subject matter was most appropriate, however. Ben Franklin put the American colonies “on the map” intellectually in Europe at a time when many people thought that the Americans were full of wild Indians and ignorant bumpkins. Had it not been for Franklin, France might well have never intervened on the side of the colonies during the Revolutionary War, which in turn probably tipped the scale in the outcome of that conflict.

BTW the results of this poll show where the Franklin Half Dollars really rates among coin collectors. Despite the coin's passionate fans on this board, it is not a big deal for many collectors.

MadMonk

<<"BTW the results of this poll show where the Franklin Half Dollars really rates among coin collector. Despite the coin's passionate fans on this board, it is not a big deal for many collectors">>

Boy, you can say that again.

boiler78

Actually I prefer this Barber design

FC57Coins

<< <i>"BTW the results of this poll show where the Franklin Half Dollars really rates among coin collector. Despite the coin's passionate fans on this board, it is not a big deal for many collectors" >>



You know - this is like asking the proverbial do you like Mazeratti's or Fords. In the end anyone with half a brain is going to say oh yeah I'd like to have a Murcielago - but you look in their driveway and there's the old reliable Taurus sitting there.

While Franklins are not the ultimate in coin design, they have character, nostalgia, and yes a rabbid following. All you need to do is look at the registry and see which coin, save perhaps by the Morgan dollar, has more sets registered, and which coin, including the Morgan, has more completed sets. There's a little bit of everything for everyone in the series, that's what makes it so enjoyable.

Think of Franklins as the Chicago Cubs of coins - everyone has a soft spot in their hearts for the Cubbies do they not?

Frank

Gilbert

Franklins.

Barbers look too much like a copy of the Morgan dollar, which happens to be a favorite of mine. Also, I think the fact that it is in multiple denominations simultaneously also "overwhelms" me with an image I already don't like.

I think you guys are wrong about "where the Franklin stands" among collectors. B&M, L&F Galleries R&I Coins exclusively (well they sell other denoms too) and numerous other dealers are moving their Franklin inventory somewhere, and it ain't just to me, Frank and Lucy.

Yeah, so you don't like them. I accept that. A bit tired of hearing how boring, artistically uninspiring, etc they are. You know, everyone doesn't have or need to have the same tastes.

So, Sinnock could have given Ben a "gerry-curl" and put a halo around his head, the National Audubon Society could have banded the Eagle and maybe the Liberty Bell could have been "in motion" or something, but I like it and you like what you like. You don't hear me continuously extilling what I dislike about any other series. I guess my point is you can like the coin or not -- can you just limit how many time you have to post about unappealing it is to YOU. At least do it for your fellow collector(s). Would it really not bother you if every time what you collect is mentioned, there is a parade of negative remarks by a group who happens to have differing tastes than your own?

It boils down to reciprocity.

MadMonk

Boy Thanks Frank, I feel so much better now!

MacCoin

my favorite halves are

1. drape bust
2. cap bust
3. flowing hair
4. walking liberty
5. seated liberty
6. Barber
7. Kennedy
8. franklin

BillJones

I'd put the Walking Liberty at the top of the list. It's easily one of the of the 20th century.

Next I'd take the Draped Busts circa 1805. The earlier Draped Busts had more detail that most of the 1806 and 1807 half dollars that were struck on shallow dies. The shallow relief on those coins was undoubtedly an effort to prolong die life.

Next I'd take the Capped Bust coins from the teens. The 1807 and 1808 half dollars were interesting, but the eagle on the reverse was a strange beast indeed. The portrait of Ms. Liberty on Capped bust haves from the 1830s was one tough looking broad. She really wasn't very pretty.

lclugza

I picked Barbers. I think they are rather beautiful in Mint State or Proof. In high grade Liberty really looks like a lady and you don't see that "masculine" look. Unfortunately most are well worn, mere silhouettes on the obverse.

ms70

<< <i>Beauty and the Beast come to mind. >>



That says it for me!