The Poe Collection
1950-D


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 D
Grade: NGC MS 64 FBL
Owner: physics-fan3.14
 
Winning Set: The Poe Collection
Date Added: 6/29/2008
Research: See NGC's Census Report for this Coin

Owner's Description

I’m working on getting a brief biography of the great Ben Franklin together for this entry. After all, if you’re going to collect a coin commemorating a guy, shouldn’t you know a bit about him? I’ll also try to highlight his important numismatic contributions. <br /><br />The 1950D seems to be one of the more difficult issues in this series to find a pleasant example of. The mintage of right around 8 million would seem to indicate that plenty of nice examples would exist, but alas, this is not the case. The 1950D is widely regarded as a semi-key in the series, especially if you are trying to assemble a 65FBL set. The 1950D has almost universally dull luster, with few exceptions. Chiong describes it as “the creamy frosty variety.” It certainly suffers greatly in comparison to its sister coin, the 1950P, which, as can be seen in the previous entry, quite often comes with amazing luster. Like the 1949D, bagmarks are a big problem for this issue. To further complicate matters, the strike on the 1950D is probably the worst of all the early D mint Franklins. Of course, a bad strike for the Denver mint is still much better than anything the San Francisco mint put out. The final nail in the coffin of the 1950D is the notable absence of good color coins: there were no official government mint sets that year, so the number one source of attractive rainbow coins is automatically out. Most coins with color on them are of the dull grey/brown variety. <br /><br />Despite the difficulty in finding a great 1950D, I managed to find one that wasn’t all that bad. Perhaps I am biased by my ownership of it, but that is the way it is sometimes. Your kids are always better than anyone else’s. My coin has the typical subdued luster of the 1950D, combined with a good number of bagmarks. Unfortunately, there are a few bagmarks on his jawbone and bust line, but the reverse seems to have been spared any major strikes. The strike is acceptable, and certainly qualifies for FBL status. There is some high point pitting on the jaw and cheekbone, but, perhaps because it was still early in the life of the master die, the three wisps of hair are clearly defined. While not possessing the great multicolored rainbows of other coins, I think the toning on this coin is very interesting. Indeed, that is one of the main reasons I bought it. I like the way the brown sort of clings to the devices, inside the devices, and accenting them. While it is just brown, I think it makes for an eye appealing and startling effect. I bought this coin for a very reasonable $50 on Ebay in June, 2008. <br /><br />Entertainment in 1950:<br />Disney’s “Cinderella” dominates the box office. <br />The great drama “All About Eve” wins Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actor. <br />The classic film noir “Sunset Boulevard” comes out, and Orson Welles’ classic “The Third Man” is released in the US. <br />The great comedies “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “Father of the Bride” are released.

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