FBL (full bell lines)
FBL means full bell lines: on a Franklin half dollar, the horizontal lines across the bottom of the Liberty Bell on the reverse are fully struck. PCGS, NGC and CAC Grading each word the requirement a little differently.
How to read it
The Franklin half dollar was struck from 1948 to 1963 and has the Liberty Bell on its reverse. NGC says the strike often leaves the lower bell lines incomplete, and the designation marks coins where it did not. PCGS gives FBL when the lower sets of bell lines are complete, and accepts very slight disturbance of several lines. NGC asks that all the horizontal lines on the bell be distinct. CAC Grading requires a fully split bottom set of bell lines, uninterrupted by weakness or marks, and does not count mint-made flaws such as die cracks across the lines against a coin. Proof Franklin halves do not get FBL. NGC says coins from San Francisco (S) consistently have trouble qualifying. The designation is the half dollar's counterpart to FB on Mercury dimes and FS on Jefferson nickels.
Also searched as: FBL Franklin, full bell lines.
The end of the Franklin half
NGC says the series was cut short after the assassination of President Kennedy, which led to a new half dollar, the Kennedy half dollar. The Franklin half is the only half dollar with a strike designation of its own.
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Sources
- PCGS Lingo: full listing, PCGS Lingo, full listing (pcgs.com/lingo/ALL; Internet Archive copy of 5 February 2025), Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), archived by the Internet Archive, Full Bell Lines; FBL
- Learn Grading: What Are Full Bell Lines?, NGC, Learn Grading series (13 November 2018), Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), article text
- CAC Grading Standards, CAC Grading Standards (cacgrading.com), CAC Grading, Designations: Strike, Full Bell Lines (FBL)
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research