[The following excerpt is published courtesy of DLRC Press and its author, Rick Tomaska. This information was originally published in 2002 in The Complete Guide to Franklin Half Dollars]
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Mintage
25,395,600
Varieties
101 RPM west. (W&M photo)
Current Availability & Values
All Circulated Grades: Readily available.
Value: AU’s are worth about $4.50. Lower grades are valued as bullion.
MS 64 FBL: Another surprisingly tough issue in attractive MS 64 FBL! Brilliant examples are very scarce, as are attractively toned specimens. A tough date to keep in stock!
Value: $60-$100 for appealing brilliant coins. About half that level for unattractive examples with dull mint set toning. Beautiful color coins have sold for upwards of $200 in MS 64 FBL.
MS 65 Brilliant: Almost as rare and underrated as the 1951-D in brilliant MS 65 condition. The two dates have much in common. Both are usually found with full, bold strikes, good luster, and plentiful abrasions – a very common problem with Denver mint Franklins.
Value: A $700 coin at the peak of the market in 1989, this very scarce MS 65 issue can currently be acquired for $250-$400 in non-FBL. Grab up all you can find!
MS 65 Toned: Like the other “D” mints of the early 1950’s, most toned 1952-D Franklins are mint set coins. While the “P” mints and “S” mints would occasionally tone in beautiful rainbow colors, the Denver mint coins were usually a drab grey or brown in color. Attractive, brightly toned 1952-D’s with color toning are very scarce, and highly prized by collectors.
Value: The typical toned 1952-D is usually priced between $150-$250 in non-FBL. Beautifully toned color coins can command multiples of that figure.
MS 65 FBL: Like its sister the 1951-D, the ‘52-D is a very boldly struck date, and is normally available with full bell lines. Its strike is typical of the early “D” mints. These coins are among the sharpest struck issues of the Franklin series.Fully brilliant gem 1952-D Franklins are almost non-existent on today’s numismatic landscape. Superb color coins are equally as rare.
Value: Almost as rare as the 1951-D in either brilliant MS 65 FBL or superbly toned MS 65 FBL, any examples that surface at the current $500-$800 level offer excellent value. Avoid “brilliant” 1952-D coins with dull surfaces – most likely a coin that has had heavy mint set toning removed through dipping.
MS 66 & MS 67: Almost as rare as the 1951-D in this grade, due to all the aforementioned problems associated with this date. All the examples this author has handled have been mint-set toned coins, with color that, while not outstanding, was average to above average. Most MS 66 1952-D Franklins are full bell line.
Incredibly, there has been a 1952-D graded in MS 67. It was also designated FBL. The coin was an unusually clean mint set toned specimen, toned in soft golden-brown on obverse & reverse.
Value: The few MS 66 FBL’s that have sold the past couple years have reportedly traded between $2,000-$4,000. A true “wonder” 1952-D with “monster” color, if such a coin were ever to surface, would undoubtedly command an additional premium.
The lone 1952-D MS 67 FBL sold for approximately $15,000 in the late 1990’s. If on the market today, it would likely realize 25%-50% more.
General Comments
A GREAT date if you can find gems with either fully brilliant surfaces, or superb color toning. Once one of these finer examples find their way into a collection, they rarely reappear. Attractive MS 66 examples are rarer still, this author having not handled, or been offered, such a coin in several years.