The Poe Collection
1950


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Origin/Country: United States
Design Description: HALF DOLLARS - FRANKLIN
Item Description: 50C 1950
Grade: NGC MS 65 FBL
Owner: physics-fan3.14
 
Winning Set: The Poe Collection
Date Added: 1/7/2006
Research: See NGC's Census Report for this Coin

Owner's Description

A differentiation must be made between a good strike and full details in the Franklin series. On Franklins, due to the rapid deterioration of the master die, a good strike does not imply full details – it only implies good details for the date and issue. The 1948, being the first in the series, almost always comes with full details, even with a weaker strike, but the vagaries and variabilities of striking still remain. Thus, a coin not fully struck will exhibit far more details than its counterpart from ten years later, but will be somewhat below its sister 1948 coins. This is why a very large percentage of 1948 Franklins are FBL, because even with a weaker strike, the bell line detail is still present. The most common indicator of a weaker strike is what Tomaska calls “high point pitting.” When the force on the planchet is insufficient to cause metal to flow into all the deepest recesses of the die, the high points of the coin appear shiny or uneven. The places to look for this are towards the bottom of the bell, and on Franklin’s cheek and jawbone. This is an indicator of a weaker strike, and will tend to limit the grade and any FBL designation. Severe high point pitting will limit the grade to 64, but minor pitting is allowable on a 65. Avoiding pitting is difficult because it is so common.<br /><br />The primary feature of the 1950 is its luster. The 1950 usually comes with a decent strike, with minimal bagmarks, but above average luster. This is the last of the well struck P mint Franklins – as time progressed, the master die wore down resulting in a significant loss of detail. The first few years produced the coins with the most detail, and after 1950 enough is lost that it is noticeable. No mint sets were produced in 1950, so color coins are much scarcer than other years. Several of the notable Franklin authors say that the 1950 is one of the best coins to obtain for a type set, due to the good strike, great luster, and availability. Indeed, the luster on the 1950P is among the best in the series – very flashy, bright, and seeming like liquid water on the surface of the coin. Tomaska also points out that this date is usually free of the high point pitting common on some other dates.<br /><br />My coin is a typical 1950. The luster is absolutely amazing, with satiny surfaces and just a couple steps below prooflike. The strike is all there as well – the three wisps of hair, Pass and Stow, and of course the bell lines. Given the beginning of the die wear, and the usually weaker strike on the P mint coins, the bell lines are solid for the designation. It is not fully brilliant; there are little spots of toning here and there, and I am guessing this limits the eye appeal enough to hold it back from a 66. I am perfectly happy with the 65 grade on it. I paid $99 for this coin on Ebay in 2006. <br /><br />Notable events in 1950:<br />President Truman orders the development of the hydrogen bomb in response to the Soviet Union’s first atomic bomb. <br />Two Vietcong battalions attack a French base in French Indochina, what we now know as Vietnam. <br />The VW Bus is introduced. <br />Robert Schuman presents his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, recognized by many as the beginning of the creation of the European Union. <br />Peanuts and Beetle Bailey are first published<br />Diner’s Club founded.

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