Numismatics! Your reputable online source for distinguished rare and collectors coins and proof sets is just one click away! Click HERE to browse our extensive catalog of rare coins, complete sets, proofs, uncirculated sets and get reliable market information also! Find here
this market was virtually ignored 30 years ago. What brought it to prominence? Quite simply, information was made available that resonated with the collecting public. At that time, high grade Morgan dollars were not even considered worth collecting by many numismatists, because they were thought to be so plentiful. In other words, though they ranked high in categories 1. Beauty, 2.Quality, and 4. Price, in collectors'' minds they ranked extremely low in category 3. - Rarity. Therefore, their desirability as a collectible was thought to be limited. However, several landmark books were published nickelcoin on Morgan dollars in the 1970''s and early 1980''s which educated the collecting public on many aspects of the Morgan dollar series they were not aware of. Probably the most significant of these books, Wayne Miller''s "The Morgan and Peace Dollar Textbook", was the first book that provided an in-depth date-by-date analysis of this series along with photographs. Significantly, Miller was one of the first authors to estimate a date''s rarity not only in uncirculated condition, but also in gem MS 65 uncirculated condition, and gem MS 65 prooflike condition. This new information was a tremendous boon to the
involved "acid-dipping" the dies before they were polished. The solution used during the 1950 to 1970 period, a bath consisting of 5% nitric acid/95% water, was used to create an acid-etched appearance on the die. When the die was subsequently polished and buffed, the recessed portions of the die, the devices, retained their acid-etched cameo. The very first strikes off one of these new dies would possess a gorgeous, intense cameo effect very similar in quality to the proofs minted today. The raised portions of these early strikes, the devices (on the Franklin half, these would be the bust of Franklin, the lettering, and date on the obverse, and the Liberty bell, eagle, and lettering nickelcoin on the reverse) would display a snow-white cameo effect that would stand in stark contrast to the deep-mirrored fields surrounding them. The flawless, jewel-like quality of the best of these cameos almost look like works of art rather nickelcoin than mere coins! Indeed, to most collectors, nickelcoin these coins are works of art! The frosted devices of these early cameo dies were quite delicate - one could easily scratch a bit of frost from the die with one''s fingernail, and were the first part of the die to wear. Each
toned nickelcoin in iridescent shades of purple, plum, burgundy, green, orange, gold.....virtually every color of the rainbow, can sometimes be found on a single coin! The design of the Franklin half, with the broad expanse of Franklin''s bust on the obverse, and the Liberty bell on the reverse, is an easy target for bagmarks or abrasion. A pristine Franklin half, with a smooth, unblemished cheek of Franklin on the obverse, and equally pristine Liberty bell on the reverse, is a truly beautiful coin. On the other hand, the simplicity of these surfaces also serves to magnify, or hilight, the smallest bagmark! The cheek of Franklin & the Liberty bell make easy targets. The quality of the typical uncirculated nickelcoin Franklin roll is quite low, with all 20 coins usually grading nickelcoin between MS 60 and MS 63. By comparison, if one had the good fortune to acquire an original roll of uncirculated Walking Liberty half dollars (the series immediately preceding the Franklins, minted from 1916-1947) the general quality of the coins would likely be quite high, with most coins grading MS 64 - MS 65. What About Any Hordes Of Gem Bu Franklins That Have Yet To Surface? Original unsearched bags of BU Franklins? The last bag
Find here - Numismatics! Your reputable online source for distinguished rare and collectors coins and proof sets is just one click away! Click HERE to browse our extensive catalog of rare coins, complete sets, proofs, uncirculated sets and get reliable market information also!
| nickelcoins | numismatic advice | numismatic dealer | numismaticadvice |
| numismaticdealer | numismatists | overstrikes | paper money |
hostmaster@coin-dealers-online.com
All Rights Reserved. The products mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners and are not owned by us. Read our privacy guidelines.