Set Description
My very first coin show was a tiny local show in Charleston, SC. I was a senior in high school, I had just gotten my first car, and was enjoying a little newfound freedom. I walked in with $45 in cash – at that time it seemed like a princely sum. I walked around the 20 or so dealers’ tables, and my eye caught a pair of Franklin halves. For some reason, then and there I decided that I would collect these gorgeous hunks of silver. I can remember the first one even now – a 1963D, a little beat up, but it had a gorgeous crescent of orangey golden album toning around the rims. I was hooked. <br /><br />Today, my budget is a bit larger, but the fascination still remains. To most, the Franklin is an ugly coin; the bust of Franklin is kind of dull, the bell only mildly interesting, and the scrawny eagle is just pathetic. To others, the Franklin is nothing more than a common modern coin, even if it does have a healthy 0.3617 troy ounces of 90% pure silver. Yes, most dates are pretty common. For many, the mintages are actually higher than even the largely ignored Kennedy half. But a student of the series will tell you that Full Bell Line coins, the epitome of the Franklin series, are often very difficult to find. The student of the series will appreciate the vagaries of strike and die wear, and even the mint that produced it, that all contribute to the scarcity of the so called FBL coin. <br /><br />When I started putting this set together, I knew that I wanted to get Full Bell Line Franklins, abbreviated as FBL among collectors. I had a friend ask me the other day what FBL stood for; she wasn’t a collector, but looking over my set she noticed it on several of my slabs. The question is a good one, and well worth answering for anyone interested in the Franklins (I’ll give you bit more detail here than I gave her, as I’m assuming that if you are taking the time to read this then you are at least mildly interested in the Franklin.) The term and all that it implies is discussed in the entry for my 1948 Franklin. <br /><br />I started putting this set together my freshman year of college, in 2003. At the time, all I could afford were MS-64 FBLs, and only the cheapest ones at that. I graduated college in 2007 (with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida), and got a job working as a field engineer on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico with Baker Hughes Inteq. Needless to say, my budget is considerably greater now, so I can afford the MS-65 FBLs that you see littering my collection. I may upgrade the 64s at some point, but right now I am more concerned with finishing the set. <br /><br />My collection is very much a work in progress, as you can tell from its current state of incompletion. I am always adding new coins, and as I add new coins I will add new descriptions and information. It will be a constantly evolving set, so check back sometime soon and you will be sure to learn something new! I hope you come to appreciate the Franklin like I do. I’ve included, as an interesting little addition, a little of what was going on in the world at the time these coins were minted. P mints get a “notable events” section, D mints get “notable entertainment,” focused on movies since that is another of my hobbies, and S mints get a “notable music.”<br /><br />Maybe a Table of Contents might be a good idea, to see what is featured in various entries (* means I haven’t added the special feature yet):<br /><br />1948 – A thorough description and explanation of the term Full Bell Lines<br />1948D – A survey of Franklin Half Dollar literature and web resources<br />*1949 – The Origin of the Franklin Half Dollar<br />1949D – Collecting the Franklin Half Dollar<br />1949S – An Introduction to San Francisco mint Franklins<br />1950 – An explanation of good strike vs. full details and high point pitting<br />*1950D – A short Biography of the Great Benjamin Franklin<br />1951 – Tales of auctions, slabs, and fingerprints<br />1951D – The Four Sisters, the series of 4 very similar D mint issues. <br />1953D – A description of Water Spots<br />1953S – The Famous 1953S and Space Shuttles<br />1954S – Why I Like Die Polish Lines<br />1955 – The Bugs Bunny Variety<br />1958 – Some Thoughts on Toning<br />*1958D – The Science of Toning<br />1959 – Collecting Slabs<br />1960 – The Re-Engraved Master Die<br />1962D – Extremities and Averages<br />1963D - Conclusion<br /><br />
