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Franklin Half Instructional Series #10: 1951S Half Dollar
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Franklin Half Instructional Series #10: 1951S Half Dollar.
This is the long overdue tenth 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
1951S
After a one year hiatus from making Franklins, the San Francisco mint once again cranked out halves to the tune of 13,696,000. Add to this total the over 23 million coming out of the Denver and Philadelphia mints, and by far you have the most prodigious production of half dollars in a long time. Unfortunately, high production and high quality did not go hand in hand. If you check back to some of the earlier installments on the 1951 coins, poor definition and handling plagued the year’s supplies of half dollars, to the point that they are relatively scarce in gem grades across the board. The 1951S is no exception. Plagued initially by poor definition starting to come from the master die, this issue was also maligned by poor workmanship at the San Francisco mint. Instead of changing dies when they became worn. Jack Ehrmanntraut documents that the mint chose to increase the life of the dies by increasing pressure on them. The result were halves that had almost no hair or bell details at all.
Quite unusually however, is the fact that every once in a really great while, you will find a boldly struck and flawless example of this rarer date. The same can be said for luster and toning. While most pieces sport average luster, a few pieces have been known to have extraordinary brilliance and detail. Toning on these coins for the most part is of the gold/grey variety, but again, some breathtaking pieces have been plucked long ago from original mint sets. Handling marks are better than average, as was the case with most San Francisco issues, but some pieces will have spots on the high points which look worn or pitted, but in actuality, it’s the result of metal not flowing properly to the deepest recesses of the coin. Many pieces will have weak, mushy lines, with a distinct weakness on the lower left quadrant of the bell lines. However, as before, once in a blue moon, you’ll see pieces with amazing bell line detail.
Current population numbers from PCGS read as follows:
MS63 and lower 194 in non FBL and 31 in FBL
MS64 - 636 in non FBL and 386 in FBL
MS65 - 644 in non FBL and 236 in FBL
MS66 - 72 in non FBL and 57 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, due to better handling, than its Denver counterpart, coins can be found in MS64 and 65 conditions fairly readily.
An unusual side note to this issue is the fact that PCGS recognizes a double-die reverse variety for this coin. Most, if not all Franklins from 1948-59, exhibit a mild form of doubling on the reverse, particularly on the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. The doubling on the 51S is somewhat more noticeable, but it has yet to catch on and only brings a small premium in circulated grades. PCGS has graded 2 such coins in MS65.
An MS64FBL piece can often be found for around $100-$150, while MS65FBL pieces will generally run anywhere from $400 to $600, depending on eye appeal. At one point MS66FBL pieces were commanding prices in the high $2000-3000 range, but since more have found their way into the population reports, they tend to range in the mid $1,000 range. 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.
One of the few San Francisco Mint offerings, the 51S ranks behind the 53S in gem FBL rarity and is about as rare as the 52S. Collectors can find eye appealing MS64 or 65 examples with a little bit of effort, and could very well settle for a nice MS64FBL without going broke. Have fun collecting Frankies!
This is the long overdue tenth 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
1951S
After a one year hiatus from making Franklins, the San Francisco mint once again cranked out halves to the tune of 13,696,000. Add to this total the over 23 million coming out of the Denver and Philadelphia mints, and by far you have the most prodigious production of half dollars in a long time. Unfortunately, high production and high quality did not go hand in hand. If you check back to some of the earlier installments on the 1951 coins, poor definition and handling plagued the year’s supplies of half dollars, to the point that they are relatively scarce in gem grades across the board. The 1951S is no exception. Plagued initially by poor definition starting to come from the master die, this issue was also maligned by poor workmanship at the San Francisco mint. Instead of changing dies when they became worn. Jack Ehrmanntraut documents that the mint chose to increase the life of the dies by increasing pressure on them. The result were halves that had almost no hair or bell details at all.
Quite unusually however, is the fact that every once in a really great while, you will find a boldly struck and flawless example of this rarer date. The same can be said for luster and toning. While most pieces sport average luster, a few pieces have been known to have extraordinary brilliance and detail. Toning on these coins for the most part is of the gold/grey variety, but again, some breathtaking pieces have been plucked long ago from original mint sets. Handling marks are better than average, as was the case with most San Francisco issues, but some pieces will have spots on the high points which look worn or pitted, but in actuality, it’s the result of metal not flowing properly to the deepest recesses of the coin. Many pieces will have weak, mushy lines, with a distinct weakness on the lower left quadrant of the bell lines. However, as before, once in a blue moon, you’ll see pieces with amazing bell line detail.
Current population numbers from PCGS read as follows:
MS63 and lower 194 in non FBL and 31 in FBL
MS64 - 636 in non FBL and 386 in FBL
MS65 - 644 in non FBL and 236 in FBL
MS66 - 72 in non FBL and 57 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, due to better handling, than its Denver counterpart, coins can be found in MS64 and 65 conditions fairly readily.
An unusual side note to this issue is the fact that PCGS recognizes a double-die reverse variety for this coin. Most, if not all Franklins from 1948-59, exhibit a mild form of doubling on the reverse, particularly on the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. The doubling on the 51S is somewhat more noticeable, but it has yet to catch on and only brings a small premium in circulated grades. PCGS has graded 2 such coins in MS65.
An MS64FBL piece can often be found for around $100-$150, while MS65FBL pieces will generally run anywhere from $400 to $600, depending on eye appeal. At one point MS66FBL pieces were commanding prices in the high $2000-3000 range, but since more have found their way into the population reports, they tend to range in the mid $1,000 range. 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.
One of the few San Francisco Mint offerings, the 51S ranks behind the 53S in gem FBL rarity and is about as rare as the 52S. Collectors can find eye appealing MS64 or 65 examples with a little bit of effort, and could very well settle for a nice MS64FBL without going broke. Have fun collecting Frankies!
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Capped Bust Half Series
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PCGS MS66FBL...
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
"Senorita HepKitty"
"I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
a great thread
please do the 54 s next
michael
Keep them up. They're great!
I know of at least one other MS66 FBL that is white, but the vast majority are toners.
and they're cold.
I don't want nobody to shoot me in the foxhole."
Mary
Best Franklin Website
Lucy - that 66FBL is a real beauty - jumps off the screen!
You are doing well, subject 15837. You are a good person.
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Take Care, Dave