In memory of Frank:
franklin Half Instructional Series #4: 1949D Half Dollar.
This is the fourth installment of my instructional series on franklin Halves. Each week (hopefully) 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
1949D
With a mintage of 4,120,600, you would think that finding a top notch franklin Half from this date would be a cinch. Far from it. Like it’s Denver relatives from 1948-1953, the 1949D half was treated harshly at the mint and many coins which you see on the market for this year are highly bagmarked. Of the early Denver coins, I would venture to say that 1949D is probably at the top of the list of manhandled coins. Generally found in MS63 or below, these are the types of franklins that sometimes gives the series a bad name. In addition, many of the 1949D franklins did not tone well, often being found with dark brown to black toning right out of mint sets. On the positive side of the coin, this issue was very well struck, therefore the majority of coins exhibit not only good bell lines, but a strong “Pass and Stow” on the reverse and “Three wisps of hair” on the obverse.
Current population numbers from PCGS read as follows:
MS63 and lower - 458 in non FBL and 206 in FBL
MS64 - 490 in non FBL and 1204 in FBL
MS65 - 33 in non FBL and 235 in FBL
MS66 - 1 in non FBL and 12 in FBL
MS67 - 0 in FBL
As you look at the pop reports you see that there is a high number of MS64FBL’s in the populations, and only 235 in MS65FBL. Further proof yet that the bagginess of this issue plagued it in the grading room. At one time the 1949D stood next in line behind the 1953S as the most expensive coin in the series to obtain in MS65FBL condition. Slowly, as the population reports increased, the 49D has been taking a back seat to a number of issues from the 1960’s which are next to impossible to find in gem FBL condition.
Because of the battering that these pieces took, even nice creamy coins, which is the norm for these pieces, seem to look less than ideal, unless they are on the upper range of MS64 and better grades.
Prices for MS64FBL coins will range in the $100-$200 range depending on eye appeal. Where MS65FBL’s not too long ago commanded prices from $900 and up, nowadays they can range from $650-$1,000, depending on whether these are toned with an appealing pattern or white. MS66FBL have a population of only 12 coins and command huge premiums from those collectors who insist on the finest. These pieces can start $6,000 and keep climbing from there. I found an interesting site which provides not only mintage information on each date/mint mark, but also 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.
Once one of the darlings of the franklin series, the 1949D half still commands respect from collectors in MS65FBL and above, but has been overshadowed by scarcer offerings from the 1960’s. Look for coins with clean fields, good strikes and either white, or attractive toning.
Below, is another small treat, a grouping of 1949D franklins from a friend of the board showing excellent examples of an MS64FBL, and MS64FBL that’s a whisper away from the next grade, and an MS65FBL.
Happy collecting!
