Thinking of starting a Franklin half dollar collection, need some advice.
bigmarty58
Posts: 2,002 ✭✭✭✭✭
My aspirations are to put together a medium to high quality collection. I need some advice on the series, particularly on resource material, and collecting strategy. I am unsure about collecting raw Franklins to put in a Dansco or to collect PCGS graded Frankies. If I choose to go with a third party grading service is NGC also a consideration. Finally, recomendations on reputable dealers would be appreciated.
Robert.
Robert.
Enthusiastic collector of British pre-decimal and Canadian decimal circulation coins.
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Comments
What you'll find, or at least what I found out is that Franklins are a bit like Peace Dollars.
These coins are weakly struck, and to the untrained eye the difference between an AU coin & MS is sometimes hard to tell.
If you're sure you'll stick with a Dansco, no problem.
But if you start with raw coins, then later decide to play the registry game & send coins in don't be surprised if you get some AU's back when you thought MS for sure.
PCGS vs. NGC, don't know, but probably evens out in the end. Buy NCG for less, get less for NGC when selling.
I'd check R&I Coins for expertise....along with members here.
<< <i>My aspirations are to put together a medium to high quality collection. Robert. >>
Can you put that in terms of grade? What grades are you thinking about?
Two things you'll need to decide - white or toned? - FBL or not?
As far as resource materials, if you are going to collect higher quality, Tomaska's book on Franklins is the best and a must.
The Complete Guide to Franklin Half Dollars, 2nd edition
and look at this thread
franklin thread
asides from what has been said
<< <i>If I choose to go with a third party grading service is NGC also a consideration.
<< <i>
Absolutely they are. In fact, many collectors would consider NGC to be tougher when it comes to this series. For instance, in regards to designating Full Bell Lines, PCGS only looks at the bottom grouping on lines. NGC on the other hand looks at both groups of lines.
Second, are you interested in MS or PR Frankies? It sounds like you are mainly interested in MS. The PR set can be a little pricier than the MS set, but it is only 14 coins and it looks really nice when the coins have cameo contrast. You can get some very good deals if you follow this strategy. First off don't collect any varieties (1956 Type 1, 1961 DDR etc.) and only collect the 1954-63 Frankies to start with (the VAST majority of the cost of the set is in the 1950-3 coins). There are three common dates for cameos in that run: 1956, '62, '63; Five moderate difficulty dates for cameo, '54-5, '57, '60-1; and two tougher dates for cameo, '58-9 (these two become A LOT harder in UCAM/DCAM). Buy NGC Cameo or * coins. Star coins often have quite nice cameo contrast, but often on one side. You can buy 'em for cheap. Here's an example of a 1960 PR67* that cost a whopping $30 (without commission, I think TT's minimum commish is $8). 1960 PR67*
I'd buy the common dates in 66-7 * or Cameo and the other dates in 65-7 *. You should be able to do the 1954-63 set with some REALLY nice eye appeal for ~ $500. If you find that the set really floats your boat then at that point in time you can move on to the 1950-3 coins.
If you decide to go MS Franklins instead, or in addition to PR Franklins, one of the first things you'll want to decide is whether you want to go for white coins, toned coins or some mix. Personally I prefer toned coins as IMO 35 white coins looks rather boring for a Registry type collection. OTOH, a nice white Frankie can be a very attractive coin. Once I finish my slabbed toned set I'll probably work to build a raw white set.
As to MS coins, one of the key telltales is to look at the eyesocket of Ben. That is a classic area for showing circulation wear. If you are just beginning collecting, looking at a bunch of slabbed Frankies (and there are a BUNCH out there) will help to familiarize your eye with what Frankies look like at different grades. As far as actually buying slabbed coins, in general I wouldn't even bother buying anything that isn't at least a MS64. There are so many raw Frankies that you can find in 63 that there really isn't a point to buying them slabbed, because after all, one way or another you will be paying for the slabbing fees.
If you decide to not go the slabbing route, you should be able to put together a very attractive set for, on average, $15 - $30 a coin, for coins in the 64 range.
As mentioned, if you do go the slab route, you will need to decide whether you want to go the FBL route. Realistically there are a LOT of coins that are slabbed FBL that are NOT FBL, and there are a LOT of coins that are not slabbed FBL that in fact ARE FBL. Also, FBL does NOT guarantee a good strike on other parts of the coin. Personally I am not picky about FBL. I would prefer a coin with that designation, but it is certainly not necessary.
Remember, the most important thing is to have fun. As you progress you will learn different nuances about the series. I'm sure that all of us Frankie collectors here on the boards look forward to seeing you post some pictures of your future pickups. Good Luck, and Have Fun!!!
U.S. Type Set
Don't make FBL a point of exclusivity, as this can be frustrating, disappointing, and confusing. Well struck overall is much easier to define.
Okay, now attack.
Lou
ANA Life-Member
Good luck on your quest.
Robert.