Proof coins!

I like them blast white, brilliant, and graded...
And cameo, toned and in the OGP...
And everything in between!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Why are today's proofs so much shinier and blacker than the proofs from the 1800's and early-1920's ?

 

The mint polishes and prepares the dies so that they are all produce deep cameo Proof coins. I would also imagine that the mint retires the dies much more frequently which keeps the images fresh.

Proofs that were issued prior to 1936 very frequently had mintages below 1,000 pieces, especially for the silver coins. Therefore the dies remained sharp though out the run.

In 1936, the mintage was close to 4,000. From there mintages kept going up year after year. In what could be called an economy move, the mint pushed several thousand coins out of each die instead of several hundred.

Dies were also heavily polished, both before they were put in service and during the time they were in service because collectors demanded bright coins. The design details were often lost, but the collectors didn’t seem to complain. For, example one Walking Liberty Half Dollar does not have the designer’s initials and 1942 half dollars are known to be missing Ms. Liberty’s hand which is over her hip.

In the 1950s, especially the early ‘50s, the situation continued. Some Proofs from the early 1950s are very shiny but have mushy design details because of die polishing and wear.

Over time, the mint has raised its standards and the dies have been greatly improved. This has made the Proof coins sharper and more attractive.

 

I gave up on proof sets and coins back in the mid-1980's.
At the time I was complete from 1952 through ~1985.
Plus I had the brown Ikes.
I currently have a set of proof Roosevelt silver dimes which are being sold off.
When they get sold the only proofs I'll have are in my birth year set (1941).

 

My Proof collections are: I have OGP proofs sets from 1941 to 2020. I also have OGP silver proof sets from 1973 to 2020. I also have all of the Prestige, Premier and Limited Edition sets.

 

I love proofs. My U.S. Mint Proof sets collection started in 1986. I also have a 62, 76, 81, and 82. They aren't really worth much, but I like them.

 

I have a 1913 and a 1936 Proof set. I have a run from 1942 to 2020 although I have stopped buying the sets without silver in them. I have thought about buying the sets from 1937 to 1941. I have some Proof singles from those years, but to be candid, the Lincoln cents, Jefferson nickels and Washington quarters bore me.

I am not a fan of Proof cents at all. If you don’t buy red ones, you don’t get any respect. If you buy red ones they can turn on you. If I fill in those years, I might just collect the dimes and half dollars.

 

I have a run of the modern silver proof sets, just because I think they look lovely.

I used to own a 1914 proof set for my Dad's birth year. They didn't make proofs in my Mom's birth year. Or mine.

 

I agree that they are lovely. Before Covet, one of the members of my club consigned certified modern silver Proof singles to the auction. They were really nice with their deep mirror cameo finish. I was drawn to them because such coins were so unusual when I was young collector in the 1960s. Then I have to step back and realize that they ALL look like that.

 

Nice picture of sets. I have been collecting sets from the '50s thru 2020 still have a long way to go but they a truly beautiful when sealed and uncirculated. Thanks for posting yours. Good luck

 

I saw an ms66 1909vdb Proof on sale for an ungodly amount of money.

 

This is as close as I will ever get to the 1909 - VDB Cent in Proof, the 1909 Plain.



One guy owns most of the population. He put it up on ebay for almost $2 million a couple years ago. I don't think he got any takers.

The trouble is when you control the market like that, you have to sell the coin very slowly. Otherwise you flood the market and your coins won't sell for what you have into them.

 

Basically, proofs after 1955 are fairly easy to find nice and aren't going to break the bank to buy them. However, don't not buy them from a dealer without looking at them first. Avoid any with any spots on them even if faint. Same with those that seem to have funny toning. Those spots / toning may change over time leaving you with an unsellable coin. If you really want to play with the big boys you need to go back further in time. Any prior to 1860 are very expensive and truly rare. Those made from 1860 until the early 1900's are collectable but some can be very expensive also.

 

Proofs are really nice. And - depending on the particular coin design (IMO) - Reverse Proofs can also be really stunning.

 

I have a complete proof set from 1865 excluding the gold coins. All certified by either PCGS or NGC. It took me many years to put it together. The grades run from proof 63 for the dollar to proof 67 cameo for the 3 cent silver.

 

Pix, purty please

 

Nice coin....if you put it side-by-side with a regular Biz Strike how much more better would it really look ? I guess I'm really used to seeing the Deep Cameo look on Proofs I have gotten since the 1970's.

Do you think that Cameo look came into being in the 1960's ? At some point, there had to have been a quantum leap in how the coins looked from the striking and die processes. I doubt that the proofs just got a bit better each year over many decades.

Can't believe he didn't realize that HA or a place like that is much better than Ebay. Ebay isn't high-end.

Just like the stock market !

 

@GoldFinger1969, your observation about the Matte Proof 1909 cent is exactly the reaction collectors had toward them back then. They didn’t like them. They were accustomed to the brilliant Proofs they had be buying for years. The result was sales of Proof coins declined. That combined with the start of World War I, suspended most sales and production of Proof coins until 1936.

As for the Cameo Proof, I think that they were more of an accident. When the Proof dies were polished, the fields were bright and the devices (recessed part of the) were frosted. The resulting coins were cameo pieces. After the first 20 or so strikes, friction polished the cameo areas, and the resulting coins were bright all over.

Collectors complained about the first 1936 Proof coins which a Matte or satin finish. That prompted the mint to over polish the dies. Some coins from the 1936 to 1942 ear have cameo characteristics, but very few of them are graded Cameo.

The cameo coins of the 1950s were really accidental. Collectors noted them and they became popular and attracted premium prices. The mint noted this and cameo coins became the norm.

 

Yup, same thing with the proofs made for Saints as they kept switching between Sandblast and Matte during the same time period.

Interesting, thanks JM !

Fascinating, thanks for the history lesson, JM !

 

Cameo Proof coins from the 1936 to 1942 era are quite scarce. The pieces that make to "Cameo" designated holders might be rare. I bought this 1939 Proof dime because it has some Cameo characteristics.