Franklin Half Dollars

[coinman1794]

What is NGC's standard for FBL?

 

Do you allow the 1/64th inch on the top rows, to the left of the crack, to be weak (most dates had this weakness on the dies, so its not a striking weakness)?

[DWLange]

The following was written for the new 2nd edition of Rick Tomaska's book The Complete Guide to Franklin Half Dollars, just released. It explains NGC's interpretation of FBL:

 

"NGC's standard for declaring that a Franklin Half has full bell lines is in line with that generally accepted by the coin market. Specifically, all of these lines must be visible along their entire lengths to within a short distance to the left and right of the bell's crack. Whether from weak striking or abrasions, no more than a couple of small interruptions in the lines are permitted, except as noted above with respect to the bell's crack."

[coinman1794]

Thank you for the response!