The Poe Collection
1952


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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Origin/Country:
Design Description:
Item Description:
Grade: NGC MS 64 FBL
Owner: physics-fan3.14
 
Winning Set: The Poe Collection
Date Added: 4/27/2008
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

Before one can ever hope to successfully collect a series, one must learn to properly grade the coins. Grading is a difficult and complex subject to learn, and it takes years of practice to properly appreciate all the subtleties associated with it. A collector must look a numerous coins of all grades and, just like with toning, only through experience can a good judgment be made. <br /><br />Different collectors place their priority on different aspects of grading, but there are four main things you need to be concerned with: strike, luster, marks, and eye appeal. Some numismatists claim luster is the most important. Some graders completely ignore strike. I prefer a more holistic approach; as you can see, grading can be a very philosophical endeavor. When I look at a coin, I usually have some idea of what grade it should be within the first few seconds. These first impressions tend to be a good starting place, but close examination will reveal things that you might have missed the first time. <br /><br />A student of any series should be familiar with the individual characteristics of each issue in the series. I have tried to outline the different luster and strike peculiarities of each date and mintmark in their entries, and these must be kept in mind when grading. A date which usually comes very nice just can’t be graded the same as a date which is hard to find well struck or lustrous. <br /><br />Some collectors are not sure strike is very important to grading a coin, but I tend to think it is. A piece with a soft strike should never grade higher than 65. Of course, this does not mean that all 66s should be FBL – FBL is reserved only for the very best strikes. But if there is more than average weakness, a coin should be downgraded to 64 or lower. <br /><br />An MS-65 must also have good luster, and a 66 should have very good luster. At lower grades, certain insufficiencies are acceptable. Allowances must be made for the peculiarities of the particular issue in question – a 1950P is almost always going to have exceptional luster, whereas a 1950D is usually going to have creamier or frosty luster. <br /><br />Marks are very important, but should be just one facet in the process. They are the easiest to see, and thus many people focus on marks when grading. The Franklin half has a simple and open design, with numerous large open spaces which tend to show marks easily. The prime focal points are on Franklin’s cheek and jaw, the field in front of his face, and the bell. Large hits in any of these areas should knock a coin out of 65. Secondary focal areas are the bottom of the bust, Franklin’s head, the top of the bell and frame, and the eagle. Too many hits or ticks in these areas will keep a coin at 64. <br /><br />Finally, all these characteristics must be weighed with the eye appeal of the coin. An otherwise 66 coin that also has ugly, dark unappealing toning probably should not grade 66. On the other hand, a coin that has decent luster and marks, but has vivid and eye appealing toning will probably get bumped up to a 65. This aspect of grading is highly controversial, but often happens with the TPGs. My 1957D is a good example of this – there are more marks than normally allowed on a 65, including one on Franklin’s cheek. And yet, because it is rather attractively toned, the piece was graded at 65. I will let you make your own decision on whether or not this is right, but that is how it goes. <br /><br />1952 pieces generally come with a lot of bag marks. Due to the very high mintage, quality varies greatly. The best examples have great luster, approaching the 1950 in brilliance. Strike is often an issue; as the master die wore down the details began to fade from the coins. This is not to say that well struck coins with almost all the details don’t exist – indeed, they do, they are just hard to find. The 1952 is rather hard to find with great color, but according to Tomaska, when it is found the 1952 approaches the pinnacle of toned Franklins. The vast majority of this issue is dull mint set toned with browns and greys.<br /><br />My coin is a nice example of the brilliant 1952. For a MS-64, the eye appeal is very nice – a brilliant white coin with good detail and nice luster. The luster is flashy, but not as great as the 1950. The strike is very good, with the three wisps of hair present and the bell lines fully bold. So typical of the 1952, it is, alas, the bagmarks which hold this coin back. I purchased this coin for $57 off of Ebay in May, 2008. <br /><br />Notable events in 1952:<br />Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne of England. <br />The UN moves into its new building in NYC. <br />Dwight D. Eisenhower defeats Adlai Stevenson for the presidency, as predicted by the UNIVAC. <br />First successful separation of Siamese twins, and the first successful sex change operation.<br />King Farouk of Egypt is overthrown in a coup led by Gamal Nasser.

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