Why a Sharp Strike is Crucial for Franklin Half Dollar Value
The Franklin Half Dollar is a specific type of silver coin, made in the United States between 1948 and 1963, containing 90% silver metal and having a value of 50 cents.
The front side of the coin shows the picture of Benjamin Franklin, this side being called the obverse, but the back side, showing the image of the Liberty Bell.
The most important element for FBL is the six small, thin, horizontal lines found at the bottom of the Liberty Bell, these lines showing the bell's structural details.
Of course, such details affect the cost, and to determine the initial price, you can easily use a free coin value lookup app without some professional grading process (but if it is perfect and you want to sell it, grade it by PCGS/NGC to confirm the quality).
For the coin to get the special FBL tag, these six lines must all be clearly visible, staying unbroken along their whole length and remaining clearly separate from each other.
If any of these six lines is not complete or is not sharp, the coin cannot get the FBL tag, losing much of its extra value.
The Coin Making Process
To understand the FBL criterion, we must look closely at the process used to make the coin at the official Mint, this process being known as striking.
The coin starts as a simple, flat disk of metal, this disk being called the blank or planchet. For the Franklin Half Dollar, the Mint used a disk made of the 90% silver alloy, heating it a bit before the next steps.
Two strong steel tools are used for striking, these tools being called dies: one die is for the top, acting like a hammer, and the second die is for the bottom, acting like an anvil.
The full design of the coin is cut into the working surface of these dies, this design being carved in a mirror image.
The blank coin is placed between the two dies, and a big machine press applies a huge, carefully set amount of pressure, making the metal of the blank flow out and fill all the small, deep spaces on the surfaces of the dies.
The Main FBL Problem: The Liberty Bell image is a high-relief design, meaning it stands up quite high from the coin’s surface, needing the metal to travel far to fill the details.
Making the full shape needs the metal from the blank to rise up to a high level and completely fill the very small details, those details being the six lines. These small lines are on the most curved part of the bell, this area being the hardest zone to fill perfectly with the metal.
Why a Weak Press Hit Happens
A weak press hit is a simple situation, happening when the force from the striking machine is not strong enough, meaning the metal cannot completely fill the highest parts of the die design.
The Liberty Bell is a large, high, and round element on the coin. When the die hits the blank, the metal must move from the center towards the edges. At the place where the six lines are located, the metal must push up very high to fill those thin, small features.
If the press pressure is too low, or if the metal itself is too hard, the metal stops before reaching the top of the design.
A weak strike results in the six lines on the bell looking not sharp and clear, but looking soft, blurred, or sometimes not showing up at all.
The small details are lost, the metal simply not being pushed into the die’s grooves with enough power.
The silver alloy used for this coin has a certain hardness. Making the coin perfectly needs very careful control over the whole process, this control including the exact strength of the strike and the preparation of the blank piece.
The Press Settings: Coin Mints often set the press pressure not to the highest possible number, but to a number that allows fast production, also making the steel dies last longer before breaking.
If this pressure is set just a little bit too low, or if the dies start to get old, the result will be a weak strike, causing the lines on the bell to be incomplete.
The FBL Rules from Grading Services
The FBL tag is only given by the coin grading companies to coins that have a very high grade, like MS-60 and higher, meaning the coin was never used in everyday buying and selling.
The Clear FBL Rules
All six small horizontal lines on the Liberty Bell must be seen clearly.
Every single line must be continuous for its entire length, having no breaks and no parts that look rubbed away.
All the lines must be clearly separate from each other. The lines cannot look merged together or blurred into one shape. Lines that are soft, not clear, or broken will mean the coin does not get the FBL tag.
A coin receiving a high grade, for example, MS-65, but having soft or incomplete bell lines, will simply be called MS-65. A coin with the exact same high grade, but having perfectly full lines, will be called MS-65 FBL, this extra tag making a big difference.
The FBL tag is an extra technical note, proving that the coin was made not just in great condition, but also with perfect pressure and machine settings.
Things That Change The Strike Quality
The quality of the press strike is not random, depending on different elements in the production process that must be watched and controlled.
The steel dies get worn out with every single hit. The surface of a die that has been used many times can get smooth in the small detail areas, including the grooves for the bell lines. A die losing its sharpness cannot make a complete line, even if the press pressure is set correctly.
Before the striking happens, the silver blanks go through a process called annealing, meaning they are heated up to make them softer, becoming more flexible.
A soft blank allows the metal to flow easily, filling the fine details of the die. If this heating process is done badly, the blank stays too hard, this hardness almost guaranteeing a weak strike and lines that are not full.
The press must be set to make enough pressure, making sure the metal fills the design completely.
In some Mints or during certain production years, the pressure may have been lowered on purpose, leading to many coins being made with a weak strike.
A small mistake in placing the blank, or if it is not centered right before the strike, can also make the metal fill unevenly, sometimes causing one part of the bell to be perfect and another part to be weak.
Because of this, a coin receiving the FBL tag means that all these production parts – the die, the blank, the pressure – were in perfect working order when that specific coin was struck.
How FBL Changes The Value
The FBL tag is a very important factor, greatly raising the price of the Franklin Half Dollar in high grades when sold to collectors.
Nevertheless, if it seems to you that the price at the local auction is too high, then check the grade through a coin worth app.
Why The Price Is Higher
Rarity: Coins showing full bell lines (FBL) are much harder to find than coins without this feature, especially for some years and Mints that were known for poor striking quality, for example, coins from 1953-S and 1955.
Proof of Technical Quality: An FBL coin acts as proof, showing that the coin was made during a time of perfect production control.
The Price Multiplier: A coin with the FBL tag can cost two, three, or more times the price of the same coin from the same year and having the same high number grade but without the FBL tag.
In some special cases, where a coin is very famous for having weak strikes, for example, the 1952-S coin, the difference in price can be much bigger.
Collectors are willing to pay a lot for the FBL promise, this promise taking away any doubt about the striking quality.
Grade | Strike Quality Details |
MS-65 No FBL | A coin showing no use, but the bell lines are soft or broken The strike is rated as weak or average |
MS-65 FBL | A coin showing no use. All six bell lines are clear, unbroken, and separate The strike is rated as strong, being perfect |
Conclusion
Full Bell Lines on the Franklin Half Dollar is not just a nice look.
It is a strict, technical sign that can be easily checked, this sign being a direct proof of the strength and quality of the coin’s press hit.
The rule that all six lines must be complete means that when the coin was made:
The pressure of the striking machine was set exactly right
The steel dies were not worn out, remaining in perfect condition
The silver blank metal was heated correctly, being soft enough to flow into the details
For collectors, the FBL tag is a guarantee, showing that the coin is not just a well-kept example, but a technically perfect sample of coin making, this perfection directly leading to a high and certain price in the coin market.
