1955 Franklin Half --- Regular or Proof Strike? FBL? 1 1

[K Scott]

Hello All,

I've been a fly on the wall for some time and have decided to drop my first post.

I had some time recently to go through my Dad's collection; pouring through his old albums.  He has a complete Franklin Half set with one date standing out among the rest.  I believe it's a regular strike but it is so much nicer than the rest of the group--could this be a proof?.  My understanding is that the strike quality for this series was a challenge because of the design.  I figured I should just ask you all for your opinion.  The bell lines on the reverse are also pretty distinct.  I wonder if I may have an FBL here as well?

I know the photos could be more clear, but this is my best attempt with the camera I have:

Thank you in advance.  We have a plethora of knowledge here.

[Mr.Bill347]

Not a proof coin, but still a nice business strike with nearly full bell lines

[Greenstang]

Welcome to the Chat Board

That is a business strike and is also not a FBL but is a nice album filler.

[Coinbuf]

Agree that you have a business strike not a proof, it is a real luster bomb and very attractive.   The bell lines are very good but would likely fall short of a FBL designation imo, however, the TPG's are all over the place when it comes to this designation.

 

[Sandon]

 Welcome to the NGC chat board.

 I agree that this 1955 Franklin half dollar is definitely a nice uncirculated circulation strike. A proof of this era--unlike some pieces from the nineteenth century--always has mirrorlike fields. Here is a 1956 proof which also happens to be a "cameo" with frosted devices, although most have shiny devices instead.

Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Sandon
added welcome

[EagleRJO]

On 8/17/2023 at 12:56 PM, K Scott said:

... a complete Franklin Half set with one date standing out among the rest ... could this be a proof?..

Proof coins are made with polished blanks and polished dies resulting in frosted design elements and mirrored fields, like the coin Sandon posted.  See this NGC webpage about those ... https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/7639/learn-grading-proof-types/

An old school way to get an indication if it is proof or prooflike that JPM posted a while ago is to hold a #2 pencil up to the coin and see if you can read the lettering in the fields.

On 8/17/2023 at 3:05 PM, Sandon said:

a nice uncirculated circulation strike

Agreed it's a nice coin, but I always hated the term "uncirculated circulation strike".  Just seems like an oxymoron, and prefer uncirculated "business strike" as others have used even though it may not be technically correct.

[Numismatic, A.A.S.]

On 8/17/2023 at 3:05 PM, Sandon said:

 Welcome to the NGC chat board.

 I agree that this 1955 Franklin half dollar is definitely a nice uncirculated circulation strike. A proof of this era--unlike some pieces from the nineteenth century--always has mirrorlike fields. Here is a 1956 proof which also happens to be a "cameo" with frosted devices, although most have shiny devices instead.

Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

Nice Type 2..!!! Always enjoy looking at these...

[powermad5000]

Not a proof, and also not a "Bugs Bunny" variety. I would say the amount of disturbances across the bell lines would preclude this coin from getting an FBL designation. Your coin has very nice original surfaces and I do not denote that it was previously cleaned. If you don't like the dark toning spots, these could be removed through conservation with NCS. I recently sent them a Franklin Half that toning somewhat like this but was caused be staples on cardboard flips to compromise the plastic film inside and develop those toning spots. The coin returned from NCS sans spots with a nice white surface and graded well.

Being there were 2,498,181 struck for this year (including varieties), it is not the most rare of year in the series, and even with conservation minus the FBL designation, would probably not be worth the cost of grading.

[K Scott]

Thank you all for the kind feedback.  Your responses affirm my original thoughts.  I appreciate the comments on the coin's other attributes as well.  I think rather than placing it back into the album, I'll store it in an air-tight holder--might stave off further darkening of those spots.

Thanks again.