Among the 14-year run of Franklin half dollar Proofs, the second-year 1951 Franklin Proof is second only to the key date (and first-year issue) 1950 Proof, and as such it can be a real challenge for collectors. Yet the 1951 tends to come nicer than the inaugural Proof issue, with the United States Mint improving its production every year even as it ramped up the mintage numbers. Still, these mintage numbers were determined by demand for the Mint’s annual Proof set, and only 6,114 sets were sold in 1951.
Having said that, High Gem Cameo and Deep/Ultra Cameo examples are hard to come by – not least of which because the plastic sleeve that the 1951 Proof set came in was quite abrasive.
But not only does the December 31 auction from GreatCollections represent a rare opportunity to own such a quality piece but it’s also a chance for the competitive collector to obtain one of the two finest known Proof 1951 Franklin half dollars graded PR67+ DCAM by PCGS. On the PCGS CoinFacts page for the issue, this coin is one of the featured images at the top of the entry. Pedigreed to the Blue Ocean Collection, the coin is also approved by CAC as strong for the grade.
The Blue Ocean coin sold in an August 2017 public auction for $82,250 USD–an auction record for the date and grade. At the time of publication, PCGS estimates a Proof 1951 Franklin half in PR67+ DCAM to be worth $85,000.
With five days left before the auction, the starting bid on this Deep Cameo 1951 Proof Franklin half dollar is $40,000.
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To search through GreatCollection’s archive of over 600,000 certified coins the company has sold over the past eight years, please visit the GreatCollections Auction Archives.
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