I found this nickel CRH today. I was amazed at the condition but didn't know if it was a proof-like business strike or a real Proof strike. How would one tell the difference of this nickel? Which would this be? Thank you.
the fields do not look mirror like and the rest of the coin might appear to be a cameo contrast.. most later dated proofs have S-mint marks. earlier nickels do not have a S mint mark and will not look cameo.
I agree this is not a proof as the strike isn't strong enough. It looks like a regular business strike coin. However, your info here doesn't necessarily apply to proofs from this era. In 1955, most proofs didn't not have cameo contrast and they were all minted in Philadelphia. Now, the proofs minted early in the process did have cameo...but as the dies wore they were not refurbished to maintain it. As a result, many of the proofs from this era (the majority of them)...do not have cameo contrast. But, they will display a stronger strike and do tend to have a more "shinny" finish. Proofs were not minted in San Francisco until 1968.
I will use this deep "cameo" nickel pic to show you where the fields are. they look like a mirror (the black areas on this pic).. when they say cameo... that means the rest of the coin that does not look like a mirror will be a bright frosty white color. on the earlier dates there is no cameo effect and the rest of the coin will just look shinny. unless it is being made early on in the pressing/stamping process. the dies wear out out and lose the cameo effect (the frosty white areas) hope that helped you.
Agree, not a proof. The coin actually has a significant amount of wear, along with bumps and scratches; maybe it's been buffed for some unknown reason.
What year did the shiny frosty proofs come out? I have some silver proof dimes and they don't look all that different than business strikes.
The early minted proofs each year had deep cameo finishes...but as the dies wore and weren't refurbished, this went away. From what I have seen, it wasn't until the early 1970s that they began to really watch proof production and ensure a cameo finish. Prior to that, proof coins did often look similar to business strikes at first glance. However, the strike is MUCH better and the coins usually have a much shinier appearance.
