Tag Archives: Franklin Half Dollars

Ultra Rare 1953-S FBL

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A condition rarity is not associated with mintage but with other factors. Sometimes people neglected to save uncirculated examples, as in the 1884-S Morgan Dollar. The 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle had a good mintage of 180,000; but almost all were melted. The 1953-S Franklin half dollar had a mintage of 4,148,000 but suffers from poor strikes due to worn working dies. As such, it is extremely rare to find one with full bell lines. There just wasn’t enough pressure to create the unbroken lines on the liberty bell.

But can strive to find an example with at least some of the lines on the reverse.

Let’s define FBL. The designation requires fully separated, uninterrupted lines at the bottom of the Liberty Bell on the reverse. The lower sets of horizontal lines on the bell must be complete and distinct. To qualify, coins must grade MS-60 or higher, with no major disruptions to the lines, which also must be free from major cuts, heavy marks, or disturbances.

The horizontal lines must be clear and readable. Let’s take a close look this FBL example:

You can find many uncirculated Franklin halves with full bell lines. But the 1953-S is the key date. The dozens of 1953-S halves that earned FBL were struck early in the production run before the dies deteriorated.

While you may not find the ultra rare 1953-S FBL, you might have luck with other San Francisco business strike half dollars, as these also bring premiums.

The San Francisco Mint made half dollars in these years: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954. Each one apart from the rare 1953-S brings a nice premium with FBL.

YEAR1949-S1951-S1952-S1953-S1954-S
MS65$130$70$125$125$50
MS65FBL$475$375$1,050$32,500$225

The San Francisco Mint stopped making half dollars in 1954 so that its machinery could be updated. But you can still assemble a set of 1949-54 halves for a reasonable price. The goal is to get the FBL on 1949-52 and 1954 and a 1953-S half with at least some of the full bell lines.

This PCGS slabbed MS65 1953-S Sold for $100 at Stack’s Bowers. I consider this a score because so many of the lines are evident, apart from the middle.

You can find some with some distinguishable lines on eBay, but they often are overpriced, as this example. I drew the red circle showing this is NOT Full Bell Lines.

You also want to watch what 1953-S half dollars sell for on major auction houses, including GreatCollections, which sold this gem in 2019.

Assembling a set of Franklin halves is easily doable. Try for as many full bell lines as your budget allows.

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You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Full Bell Lines on Franklin Halves

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Hobbyists can easily assemble a full set, business strike and proof, of the Franklin half dollar series, 1948-1963. But it is especially difficult (and expensive) to collect the complete business set with full bell lines. Now that’s a challenge for everyone.

To give you perspective, a complete date and mint set at gem MS65 retails at $3,271. With full band lines, the price soars to $41,205.

Let’s define and identify the Full Bell Lines designation.

PCGS Full Bell Lines (FBL) designation requires fully separated, uninterrupted lines at the bottom of the Liberty Bell on the reverse. The lower sets of horizontal lines on the bell must be complete and distinct. To qualify, coins must grade MS-60 or higher, with no major disruptions to the lines, which also must be free from major cuts, heavy marks, or disturbances.

I’ll share one of my FBL halves and show you where to look with a white circle:

The horizontal lines must be clear and readable. Let’s take a closer look at another FBL half:

You have to know how to identify FBL if you bid on or buy Franklin halves. Here’s an obvious inaccurate description on eBay:

Here’s another with lines broken, eliminating the designation.

As of late, due to social media, particularly Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, new collectors spend hours searching for get-rich-quick coins, such as the 1982-D Small Date transitional error or the 1943 copper cent. Odds are you’ll never find them, although the search does train the eye for grading.

A better way to spend hobby time is to look for Full Bell Lines. Access Red Book or PCGS CoinFacts to see which years offer the best return in gem. Basically, you want to search all the “S” mint marks as San Francisco had a difficult time getting strong strikes on their production. Later 1960s FBL also bring great premiums.

Here is one that is often overlooked, the 1963, which sells for $35 MS65 and $1,750 MS65 FBL. This PCGS example, graded MS66+ FBL, retails for $85,000.

True, you may never own such a marvelous coin. But if you know how to identify full bell lines, you won’t be scammed by false eBay or consignor definitions and, on occasion, can find FBL with the seller not realizing the designation.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.