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Franklin half thoughts on a grade
cheezhed
Posts: 5,686 ✭✭✭✭✭
Do you think the hit on the cheek would preclude a 66 or higher grade?
Many happy BST transactions
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cheezhed
Posts: 5,686 ✭✭✭✭✭
cheezhed
Posts: 5,686 ✭✭✭✭✭
Comments
It should but you never know. The strike is pretty weak so that's also adding to the 65 ceiling. I recall a MS66 Barber half from 2008 that was pop 2 at that time....it had a small gash at the end of the mouth....a tad smaller than on this Franklin. Great eye appeal and original toning/blast. I thought it was over-graded because of that hit. The owner had bought it raw as MS63! It CAC'd as a PCGS 66. It was upgraded to PCGS MS66+ and then MS67 in the past year. So you just never know. It seems the TPG's are starting to be less harsh on such focal point hits.
If this coin can get a CAC sticker as is....then it might have a shot to go higher. If I owned it, I don't think I'd ever consider trying to upgrade it.
rr check your inbox.
Looking at it a different way, that coin is one hit away from a wow coin.
rainbowroosie April 1, 2003
Ouch. Moustache variety?
That MS65 1875-cc 20c got hammered by the forum for having a couple tiny ticks on the coin. Wonder what the same crowd would think of this Fish Hooked Franky?
Coins with marks right on the face are difficult to grade. Nice coin at arm's length but when ya take a glass to it, ouch!
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
I think it's a gorgeous Franklin, grade is secondary.
I do not think it will grade 66...that hit is in a focal area, plus a fairly weak strike makes it look 'washed out'...Cheers, RickO
I'll post grade later tonight.
The hit should preclude a MS66 grade; however, grade inflation has hit this series with a vengeance. Nothing would surprise me anymore.
I'll try to remember this line the next time I try to market a coin with issues.
Very weak strike. Nasty hit on the cheek. MS64.
Is price secondary too? Would you pay solid to strong 66 money for it (ie $240)? I agree, it's above average on eye appeal though a bit mottled on the obverse. The mouth will always remind you of "what if." I think it would have graded PCGS MS64 back in 1988.
By the current standards that is MS66. As Cameonut2011 says, gradeflation has really messed up the Franklins.
It would not sprise me if it is MS66+ and that is in fact an above average strike for a 52-S
My experience has been that the professional grading of the Franklin Half Dollars is all over the map. I've seen pieces with marks like this get into high grade holders, but that mark is in a bad place. It is more than likelly that this is a mint set coin. My grade would be MS-65 because of that mark, and that is only because there are no other marks anywhere else. If it had more issues I'd be down to MS-64.
The coin is not a 66, and the "hit" is only one factor. I am not an expert on the series and do not know if the 52-S always comes this mushy, but it does give me pause beyond the hit
I would guess 65 but Franklin grading seems to be all over. From what I remember the San Fran Franklins tend to be mushy.
I agree, for today's standards at least, but watch us all be wrong and PCGS puts this in a 67 slab.
I'm glad I don't collect Franklins anymore.
No thanks on that franklin, that hit would bother me too much
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yes
I'm not quite sure what I would offer on the coin, but the mark doesn't bother me at all.
I'm sure I'm in the minority about that but everyone has their ideas.
I am not that much of a "strike guy" either, so I may be stuck out in the lunatic fringe.
OMG! I don't know what to say...
Franky's sure have changed since the old days. Who knew back then (1988) that the real money and leverage was going to be made with coins with "issues" that up to that time were heavily discounted? Only $1,000 or so via Ebay and this 52-s can be yours (pop of 18, 4 in 67+). While an MS66 grade on this wouldn't have surprised me (I wouldn't have been a buyer)....the MS67 grade did.
This will draw a lot of similar MS66/67 Franklins back to the TPG's so they too can keep up. Imagine people with fresh 20-25 yr old MS65's and 66's just selling them back into the market place based on the assigned grades. Ouch.
Was this coin ever worth $1,000 as a MS66? It was pop 12 in MS66 back in June 1989....none higher.
Bidders did not believe it was a 67 but still sold for more than I think it is worth. https://coins.ha.com/itm/a/1252-4444.s
If you look at that Heritage photo enlarged, there are other about a half dozen hits and slices on Franklin. A few heavy grazes in the field. The reverse has a nice slice across the bell lines. I'm thinking a facial hit of that size would keep any Morgan dollar out of MS67 territory. Why would a lighter, smaller Franklin get a pass?
https://www.pcgs.com/photograde/#/Franklin/Grades
If you check PCGS photograde it doesn't match up to the MS67. It has features of the 64/65/66 photos. Though the 67+ "toner" example pictured on Coin Facts have quite a few facial slices. Tough to find Franklins that are mark free, decently struck, and attractive.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/franklin-half-dollars/1952-s-50c-ms66-pcgs-cac-pcgs-population-360-20-ngc-census-311-15-cdn-150-whsle-bid-for-problem-free-ngc-pcgs/a/131708-25226.s?hdnJumpToLot=1x=0&y=0
This CAC MS66 is very choppy. Then again, it's only a $150 coin.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/a/1241-4243.s
This CAC MS67 has the same bigger hits as the OP's coin....but they are much better hidden (lower jacket), or on the reverse (lower far bell). Maybe these marks are the new normal.
Holy cow! My half serious comment proved to be correct. No wonder the prices have dropped for this series...
On the other hand, to play devil's advocate, could this be some sort of planchet flaw that didn't come out during the striking process?
That was a huge gift!
what a surprise.
BHNC #203
By the old standards that is MS65 all day long, even giving it the benefit of the doubt on luster, eye appeal, etc. And "old" was not that long ago.
It is really depressing that I have several hundred PCGS Franklins that were all slabbed about 20 years ago or longer. At a loss what to do, or in denial that they all have to be regraded.
Cheezhed- good set up and presentation on this one. Hope PCGS is watching.
Ronyahski, you could take the first step and just send the best ones to CAC and see how many go gold. If you have no intentions of keeping them that much longer, a Ronyahski Franklin Collection at GC could garner some interest....all fresh old holdered coins. The MS65's of 1998 are now the 66's/67's of today.
You are leaving money on the table if you sell them as is when it comes time to liquidate. I would submit them all under the regrade tier and then submit them to CAC.
MS 67...there are no words....
That is about $14,000 in grading fees. It shouldn't be.
Gold beans leave no money on the table....at least in 95% of the time.
Check out Harry Laibstan. He offers discount bulk PCGS grading and probably cheaper than you could submit them yourself unless you are a PCGS authorized dealer.
It obviously varies by the series, but the premium for more common coins with a gold CAC sticker appears to have declined from previous highs. Of course, I haven't seen many gold stickered Franklins.
At 27 gold stickers on Franklins, it's a pretty small group....Walkers are 6X that amount. Morgans 10X. Common Buffs 9X. Mercs 15X. The Franks are pretty tough....especially since not a lot of them were slabbed in the early TPG years.