The Poe Collection
1961-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 1961 D
Grade: NGC MS 64 FBL
Owner: physics-fan3.14
 
Winning Set: The Poe Collection
Date Added: 4/27/2008
Research: See NGC's Census Report for this Coin

Owner's Description

Later date Franklins were treated very harshly at the mint – bagmarks abound on these later dates. Luster on the 1961D tends to be below average, and there are plenty of water spots, too. The strike is average, but because the bell lines were neglected when the master was re-engraved, FBL coins are scarce. All of this combines to make the 1961D very difficult to locate in MS-65, and very difficult to find in FBL. Later date Franklins are among the hardest to find FBL’s in the entire series, and the 1961D, according to Tomaska, is the hardest of the late date D mints to find in FBL. Of course, like all Franklins post-1959, color coins are very scarce due to the mint’s new packaging. Most coins are white, and a color coin is going to garner a large premium. <br /><br />My coin is well above the average 1961D if only for the fact that it is FBL. The luster is good, marks are what you would expect on an MS-64, and it is of course white. Thankfully, water spots are not an issue on this coin, there are only a couple of small spots on the reverse. For a 1961D, however, the strike is strong. With the re-engraved die, much more of the hair detail is present than on a 1959, and the eagle’s feathers are distinct. The bell lines leave something to be desired, but they are good for a later date issue. I got this one for $39 on Ebay in April 2008. <br /><br />Entertainment in 1961:<br />“West Side Story” swept the Academy Awards, and “101 Dalmatians” dominated the box office. <br />The Audrey Hepburn classics “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “The Children’s Hour” both come out. <br />Charlton Heston stars in the mediocre medieval epic “El Cid.”

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