In memory of Frank:
Franklin Half Instructional Series #6: 1950P Half Dollar.
This is the sixth installment of my instructional series on Franklin Halves. Each week (hopefully – but most likely every once in a while as I get to it) 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
1950P
With a mintage of 7,793,509 this is the last of the “P” mint Franklins to sport as sharp a strike as it’s brethren of 1948 and 1949. By 1951 the master die started showing enough wear to make it noticeable that the design was starting to fail. Another interesting aspect of this coin is that in 1950, there were no mint sets made. With the re-introduction of proof sets into the coin market, the powers that be at the mint figured that collectors would want to buy proof sets and not be interested in mint sets. Well, as you know they were wrong, and mint sets came back in 1951. As a result of this action, gem 1950 coins can only be obtained from original rolls, thus making this particular date one of the few early Franklins which is easier to obtain in white, or slightly toned condition, as opposed to toned. Add this to the fact that you generally have a good strike on the coin, and luster runs average to above average, and you wind up with a coin which is a favorite of type collectors for it’s general overall pleasing appearance. This half generally has Full Bell Lines and original rolls will likely yield coins fairly devoid of bag marks, showing a clean cheek on the obverse and a clean bell on the reverse.
Current population numbers from PCGS read as follows:
MS63 and lower - 223 in non FBL and 53 in FBL
MS64 - 417 in non FBL and 642 in FBL
MS65 - 196 in non FBL and 553 in FBL
MS66 - 6 in non FBL and 100 in FBL
MS67 – 1 in FBL
The numbers show that this coin is relatively available in a variety of very collectable grades, and collectors will have a good choice of grade/price availability. For high grade collectors, the MS66FBL examples run about the same price as a good 1961 or 1963 which, though not cheap by any stretch, is still not in “moon money” territory. I would venture to say that the majority of MS64 and MS65 coins without Full Bell Lines are the result of ding marks on the bell, and as such, I would stay away from these and defer to a nicely struck and lustrous FBL example if you wish to get one for your type collection. For the series collector, I would go with either an MS64FBL or an MS65FBL. An MS64FBL specimen may run you somewhere between $75 and $100, while an MS65FBL will set you back a modest $150-$200. The MS66FBL will generally run in the neighborhood of $1,000 depending on eye appeal. Lustrous white and killer toned pieces obviously costing more than drab brown and grey pieces. 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.
A board member recently resubmitted and made the one and only 1950P in MS67FBL, but unfortunately does not have a picture available of it. Below is the 1950P from my collection, hopefully some of the other collectors will post their coins as well.
Happy collecting!
