NGC star Franklin halves

[yonico]

just bought an NGC graded star Franklin half dollar (1957). has anyone noticed how few of these were awarded the star designation? I don't see star designated MS Franklins very often, and i wanted to check if it's just me..

looks like besides the 58-D's (that are very common with rainbow toning, in all the silver denominations), these coins very rarely get a star.

checked the NGC pop report and this is what i found*:

 

 

*i only checked the 15 latest issues of this series, 1955-1963. totals include BOTH the MS and the MS FBL graded coins. in total just 230 stars here out of 71,000 coins graded

 

 

total stars out of all coins graded : ~0.3% (approx 1 in 310 coins)

total stars out of all coins graded (TAKING THE 58-D NUMBERS OUT) : ~0.15% (approx 1 in 637 coins)

 

on the 1961-P, only 1 star out of 3,700 coins graded? 1962-D, 1 star out of 3,500 coins?

 

 

also, what the hell was in these 1958 mint set boards/paper that wasn't there in the previous years???

[coinman_23885]

Although the relative scarcity for toners of each date (most of the stars are likely for toning) comports with my observations, I believe that pieces in the 1955-1958 (aside from the 1958-D) are more common with excellent eye appealing toning than the numbers would suggest. Also remember that obviously this only accounts for the NGC data.

 

With regards to the 1958 year, I find it odd that the Philadelphia mint star population is much lower than the 1958-D population. Presumably, both mints used the same cardboard inserts/ holders. My thought is that perhaps the storage conditions at the Denver mint were different, but this is of course speculation. I would be interested in seeing whether this pattern also holds true for the Roosevelt Dimes and Washington Quarters of the period. Too bad PCGS doesn't have a star designation or an analogous designation so we would have additional data to compare. I hope RWB or one of the other authors/numismatic researchers will chime in.

[SkyMan]

Every several years I do an update on NGC stars and Franklins. It's been awhile. I'm having some problems finding them, but here are a couple of them from ATS. (There should also be one from 2006, but it was written on the TCCS forum which is defunct.):

 

 

6/16/08

 

 

6/3/10

 

[yonico]

Every several years I do an update on NGC stars and Franklins. It's been awhile. I'm having some problems finding them, but here are a couple of them from ATS. (There should also be one from 2006, but it was written on the TCCS forum which is defunct.):

 

 

6/16/08

 

 

6/3/10

 

that was a good read and a very informative post.

funny how i never (till very lately) noticed that besides a couple 58-D's, I've never owned a star Franklin and didn't come across many.

i picked up this coin in a 64* holder last week, and while the color is much nicer than the seller's pics suggest, i'm pretty sure THIS KIND OF TONING would NOT get a star on a quarter or a dime.. and at the same time, i have some beautifully toned frankies without a star. weird...

 

 

 

[Raisethis2]

The 1958 D really is a curiosity. It seems that coins minted in Denver that year had the ability to react to their environment (either mint set paper and cardboard or a desk drawer, etc.) in ways much different than other coins in the series.

 

I think in the same way most Peace dollars do not tone due to the minting process and planchet preparation, the 1958 D Franklin Half Dollar somehow received some unknown step as well. It would be great to understand what created this mystery.

 

We should all be grateful that this happened.

[SkyMan]

BTW, I forgot to mention in my first post, "Nice write-up!". Pleasant looking '57 too.

 

...

that was a good read and a very informative post.

funny how i never (till very lately) noticed that besides a couple 58-D's, I've never owned a star Franklin and didn't come across many.

i picked up this coin in a 64* holder last week, and while the color is much nicer than the seller's pics suggest, i'm pretty sure THIS KIND OF TONING would NOT get a star on a quarter or a dime.. and at the same time, i have some beautifully toned frankies without a star. weird...

 

 

I'm glad you liked the reads. I currently own a bunch of '58-D stars (being born in 1958), a '49-S*, a '52-S* and a '53-S*. As with you, I have no idea how/why NGC gave some Franklins stars and others they did not. For example, my primary Registry set '58-D is not starred, even though it's colors are striking for the date/mm. FWIW, it's a good enough looking coin that Tomaska used it as a plate coin for his most recent book. I also have an obverse/reverse pair of toned Franklins FROM THE SAME MINT SET CARD. They are both toned the same and the colors fully cover the toned side of the coin(s)... yet when I sent them in the obverse got a star and the reverse did not. C'est la vie.

[brg5658]

I agree with what others have said. There are oodles of 58-D's out there that seem to be close to "star worthy", and on another submission or "review" may merit the star. My type-set example doesn't have a star, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had received one.

 

 

[coinman1794]

Very few Franklin halves qualify for the Star designation, as any specialist will tell you. That is why exceptional examples are worth such a premium.

[coinman1794]

Every several years I do an update on NGC stars and Franklins. It's been awhile. I'm having some problems finding them, but here are a couple of them from ATS. (There should also be one from 2006, but it was written on the TCCS forum which is defunct.):

 

 

6/16/08

 

 

6/3/10

 

that was a good read and a very informative post.

funny how i never (till very lately) noticed that besides a couple 58-D's, I've never owned a star Franklin and didn't come across many.

i picked up this coin in a 64* holder last week, and while the color is much nicer than the seller's pics suggest, i'm pretty sure THIS KIND OF TONING would NOT get a star on a quarter or a dime.. and at the same time, i have some beautifully toned frankies without a star. weird...

 

 

 

 

I'm wondering when this piece was originally given a Star. It does not appear to qualify for one, under modern standards for the designation. Many coins that seem questionable to us now were given stars in the earliest days of the program, before they refined their standards to what we now know. It probably has nothing to do with the coin type.

[coinman1794]

Although the relative scarcity for toners of each date (most of the stars are likely for toning) comports with my observations, I believe that pieces in the 1955-1958 (aside from the 1958-D) are more common with excellent eye appealing toning than the numbers would suggest. Also remember that obviously this only accounts for the NGC data.

 

With regards to the 1958 year, I find it odd that the Philadelphia mint star population is much lower than the 1958-D population. Presumably, both mints used the same cardboard inserts/ holders. My thought is that perhaps the storage conditions at the Denver mint were different, but this is of course speculation. I would be interested in seeing whether this pattern also holds true for the Roosevelt Dimes and Washington Quarters of the period. Too bad PCGS doesn't have a star designation or an analogous designation so we would have additional data to compare. I hope RWB or one of the other authors/numismatic researchers will chime in.

 

1958 halves did not tone with the same lime green and magenta shades that developed on 1958-D. 1958 develops more muted blue, pink, purple, and russet hues. Often the coins that pop with color are otherwise too deeply toned to get a star. Yes, the trend does carry over to the dimes and quarters of each, respectively.

[kryptonitecomics]

Although the relative scarcity for toners of each date (most of the stars are likely for toning) comports with my observations, I believe that pieces in the 1955-1958 (aside from the 1958-D) are more common with excellent eye appealing toning than the numbers would suggest. Also remember that obviously this only accounts for the NGC data.

 

With regards to the 1958 year, I find it odd that the Philadelphia mint star population is much lower than the 1958-D population. Presumably, both mints used the same cardboard inserts/ holders. My thought is that perhaps the storage conditions at the Denver mint were different, but this is of course speculation. I would be interested in seeing whether this pattern also holds true for the Roosevelt Dimes and Washington Quarters of the period. Too bad PCGS doesn't have a star designation or an analogous designation so we would have additional data to compare. I hope RWB or one of the other authors/numismatic researchers will chime in.

 

1958 halves did not tone with the same lime green and magenta shades that developed on 1958-D. 1958 develops more muted blue, pink, purple, and russet hues. Often the coins that pop with color are otherwise too deeply toned to get a star. Yes, the trend does carry over to the dimes and quarters of each, respectively.

 

 

There are plenty of exceptions to this rule and I just recently sold a 1958-P half with 1958-D rainbow toning on it. In one of the more crazy toning patterns I have seen I once pulled a 1957-P Washington quarter out of a double mint set that had 57-P and 57-D rainbow toning in a yin & yang pattern....I always thought I should have kept that coin because it was so unique.....and of course I still have images of it ....

(thumbs u