American Numismatic Association

17 Feb 2019

Learn Your Types: Standing Liberty Quarters

Last week I acquired a new 1923 Standing Liberty Quarter to add to my collection, which is what inspired me to write this blog. Designed by Hermon MacNeil, this is one of the most popular coin designs for collectors. The prices of these coins are generally much higher than other coins minted in the same time-period. The overall mintage of the Standing Liberty Quarter series is much lower than the popular Mercury Dimes and Buffalo Nickels. From 1916 to 1924, the dates wore off much sooner than any of the details. This is because the date is the highest part on early date Standing Liberty Quarters. This led to extreme difficulties for grading companies, like PCGS and NGC, as well as collectors and dealers. There is essentially only one that that is required to grade coins. That is that the coin must be identifiable by year, denomination, series, variety, etc. Unfortunately, many of the earlier Standing Liberty Quarters ended up “ungradable.” Coins that may normally be a good, or sometimes even a very good example, may be ungradable simply because of the lack of the date. From 1925 to 1930, the date was recessed, which was very beneficial. The coins weigh 6.25 grams and are composed of 90% silver and 10% copper.

12 Dec 2018

Learn Your Types: Franklin Half Dollar

Coins-United States | iccoins

The Franklin Half Dollar was designed by John R. Sinnock, who also designed the Roosevelt Dime, which was released two years before the Franklin Half Dollar, in 1946. The Franklin Half Dollar was minted from 1948 to 1963 and was the successor to the popular Walking Liberty Half Dollar, whose obverse design is also on the modern American Silver Eagle coins. In my opinion, the Franklin Half Dollar, along with the other coins released during this time, started the age when American coins began to seem much more boring and uninteresting. The reverse of the coin contains the Liberty Bell, which is the part of the coin that causes the designation, FBL, which means “Full Bell Lines.” On the Liberty Bell, near both the top and bottom, are lines. If the lines are uninterrupted or mushed together, that means the coin is very well struck and may receive the Full Bell Lines designation by the leading grading services.