Help on Franklin Half Dollars

[rollmeupabe]

I am selling off a bunch of coins I have collected over the years. I don't know much about other types of coins so I am always afraid I am giving away a nice coin for a low price. I took some pictures of a 1961P Franklin Half that looks perfect to my naked eye. It was loose when I bought it in a collection so I don't know if it is a BU or Proof strike. I also have not been able to find any pictures to help me understand what a Full Bell Line Franklin should look like.

Does anyone know of a good web site for Franklins ?

Here are some pictures of my coin.
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/johnemorgan/1961P%20Franklin%20Half%20Dollar/DSCN1720.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/johnemorgan/1961P%20Franklin%20Half%20Dollar/DSCN1716.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/johnemorgan/1961P%20Franklin%20Half%20Dollar/DSCN1713.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/johnemorgan/1961P%20Franklin%20Half%20Dollar/DSCN1715.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p64/johnemorgan/1961P%20Franklin%20Half%20Dollar/DSCN1719.jpg

[Dick]

Rollmeupabe, If you contact Garylcsr@aol,com, he should be able to give you that link. I had it on my tool bar, and all that info was lost. I would say from the photos, that you are very close to FBL. I will say that there cannot ba any breaks, dings, gouges, etc, that affect the lines, otherwise they are NOT FBL. It is quite precise in the terminology.
Dick

[JRocco]

Hey rollmeupabe,
Your coin looks to be a proof.
With Frankie proof coinage, FBL are not considered because all proofs struck decently will show FBL so it is a given. Your coin looks nice with a frosty reverse (not sure it would go CAMEO from what I see), but there looks to be a lot of chatter or hairlines on the close-ups. If this is the case then this coin would not be a high value coin. In fact that would put it into the low value category. As is, the 60's proof Frankies in non CAM or DCAM are not valued too high unless they are in upper high grades...ubber ubber.
Take a look at my 1960 proof non CAM or brilliant proof Frankie for a comparison. This coin has no chatter or hairlines whatsoever. I value my coin at well less than $100.

[coop]

I think a couple more things may be added to the FBL Halves and FSB on Mercury dimes. One is strike, but more importantly die state may have more of the effect that would receive that status. Damage may disqualify, but strike and die state are stronger factors in that determination.

[JRocco]

I am sorry rollmeupabe because I did not address your question about FBL's.
On non proof coinage, the bottom lines should be full with no weakness or breaks, very minor disturbances are allowed at times. Here is a better pic with the lighting revealing the full lower bell lines.
This is one of my 1954's that shows nice full Bell lines as an example.

[Dick]

I should have been more explicit in my comment. I seldom deal with proof, and naturally think in terms of circulated coinage. Sorry.
Dick

[rollmeupabe]

Thanks for the quick education. I suspected it was not going to be extremely valuable since I can not even recall where I got it from. One more item for the miscellaneous collection to sell.

[Dick]

rollmeup, I hope you don't mis-construe my next statement. I would be interested in it, if the price is righ, so it would go in onr of the many empty spaces in mt "frankie" album. They are all "as they came", from lots that I have gotten from ebay. I just got a roll of JFK' for melt. I haven't gone thru them for varieties, yet. Keep me in mind when you are ready to get rid of it, and/or others. I am a roll/date collector. The wife doesn't understand why I need so many, but a roll is "more than one coin".
Dick
PS Gary, when you have time, will you give me the link ti the 4-bit pieces youi gave me? I lost the total info on the toolbar, somehow.
thanks.
Dick

[rollmeupabe]

Dick, send me a private message with your address. I will mail this coin to you. Then you can send me back a mystery roll of some lincolns you have not searched. Nothing fancy.

[Dick]

Rollmeupabe, I sent you a PM.
Dick

[coop]

"Mystery Roll." I've tried not to get them without putting them away with a mark to know what date and mint mark they are. Happens every now and then, I guess you have to open them to know for sure what they are.

[Dick]

Coop, The only "mystery rolls" I have, are the 2007-D shot-gun rolls, (a whole box of "brand-spanking-new" ones), that I got for my birthday. I explained that the wheat rolls, are rolls I made up, after checking for die dents, and RPM's. And this was before joining the forum. I didn't know about "varieties, as such. The box of 2007-D rolls was stiill sealed, but I wanted to be sure it was a new set, and checked. It is solid 2007-D You can see the date, and MM thru the holes in the bottom if the box.
Dick

[coop]

Dick: The BU 2007-D rolls I got here have a few circulated cents mixed into a full roll. They are sealed with the plastic tubes and the circulated ones stands out like a booger on your shirt.

[Dick]

Coop, that is how all of the circulated cewnts come, (at least in every box, so far). The box I have here, is shotgun rolls and ecvery one has brught BU coins on either end. I didn't know how they shipped the new coins, until I wanted a roll of Idaho quarters, and asked the vault teller if she had any, to which she saidm, no not yet. I said, no problem, just give me a bosx of quarters. It was different thatnthe other boxes, in that it had holes on the bottom, which allowed one to see the coins in each roll, (mostly for count). That box turned out to be ALL Idaho quarters!, BU, andI returned it to her, and let her know that she had a bunch of rolls of the Idaho-"D" mint. The rolls are standing on end, as opposed to the circulated coins in "condoms", which are loaded laying down. Thus, I have learned to tell the difference in BU boxes as opposed to the circulated boxes.
BTW, the CIRCULATED half dollars come the same as the new BU coins, ie, shotgun rolls, with holes in the bottom of the boxes.
Dick

[eagames]

You might get boxes of solid unc or mixed in both style boxes.

The 2 big companies I see most often doing the rolling/boxing are Brinks and N.F. String & Sons. Brinks often uses the shrink wrapped rolls in lay down boxes with no holes. N.F. String & Sons uses the white paper with stand up boxes with the holes you can look through. Depending on the season you might get solid uncs or mixed rolls in either type of boxes. Sometime around now for cents they often start using circ coins as the mints are changing to the next year. They also start to run low and banks are less eager to give out boxes. In another 2 months or so the 2008 cents will start showing up. Maybe lots of 2008 cents will be hoarded, the last year for circ strikes or before the design change?????