Hi all, about three weeks ago I posted an 1873 2 cent piece that general consensus deemed a fake. The conversation turned slightly to whether or not any proof coins of that mintage found there way into circulation. RichuhrichCoins.com 1873 2c piece Closed 3 PCGS proof VG-8 A very nice circulated example of a very rare proof only coin with an original mintage of 600. SOLD : price $1,950.00 Wow!!! My fake must be worth at least $20.00
Anyone who wanted, in that conversation, could have checked PCGS Populations and found that they've graded 23 1873 Proofs in grades below 60. That would pretty much prove that some entered circulation.
Which is kind of sad. Someone probably inherited a collection through death and turned them into quick cash or they were stolen and spent.
Or they simply took the coin out, handled it, touched it, dropped it, etc. Not necessarily entered circulation
If the mint didn't sell all of the proofs that they made, they simply put them into circulation. This was a pretty standard practice in the day, but seems truly sad for an early proof collector like myself. BTW, if anybody spent nearly 2K for that coin, they are a fool. They are readily available unimpaired for that price.
True that - ten of them are 55 or above - but ten more are VF or below, plainly circulated heavily. There's 24, not 23 - I missed a PR58 Open 3. That lower ten had to get into circulation early. It takes a long time to wear a coin into VF or below.
