Pondering Questions Of A Lost Franklin Half

Natman

Bronze Member
Jan 8, 2007
2,487
461
Hazelwood, MO
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
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Detector(s) used
White's Prizm II, White's Coinmaster
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hi all,

I got some more pics together of the "scene of the crime" where I found my very first Franklin half on Monday.

First off, I must say I'm still reeling from the experience..it's only my second silver half ever - my first one was a 1942 Walker that I found in 1996.

The neighborhood where I live was built in the 50's..my house and the surrounding ones were completed in 1958-1959, which makes the area prime hunting ground for silver coins.

It was only this year I began getting permission to search private yards around here..it's neat because there's so many places to hunt and they're all close to home.

Anyway, after the find I began to visualize different scenarios pertaining to just who, when, and how the coin was lost. Does anyone else do this??? After thinking about "who" may have lost it , it's a pretty good bet the coin was lost by the first owners of this residence since the coin's date is 1953. As for the "when", I can tell the coin was in circulation for awhile, judging from blemishes and wear easily seen with a magnifyer. Silver halves of this type were probably not carried around as much by 1964 when Kennedy halves were introduced, so I can see it being lost somewhere between 1958 and 1964.

"How" the coin was lost is anyone's guess. I tend to think it may have been lost by an adult..50 cents back then was probably like losing a few bucks nowadays, so maybe it was accidentally dropped there. It was also the only coin of it's kind on the entire property.

Here is the yard I found my Franklin..it was next door to the yard where I found 24 wheat pennies a few days earlier..I can see that "who" as a kid back in the 60's playing or burying them (there was 15 wheats and about a half dozen 60's Lincoln Memorials buried in an area about a foot square).
FRANK7.jpg


Looking from the house, the place where my detector coil sits is the exact location of my find.
FRANK0.jpg


Here is the coin in the very hole of which it lay for 45 or so years.
FRANK4.jpg


Here's a shot of my son holding it.
FRANK1.jpg


And a very happy yours truly!
FRANK3.jpg


This post was designed to stir your imagination, inspire "newbies" and well-seasoned MDers alike, and share an experience with you that I will never forget..if you can EVER get permission to hunt yards such as this one, do so because there's always a chance to find something really great.

Nat
 

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