So I was looking through rolls and found a lot of old and shiny and reflects light and you can see reflection. How do I tell %100 it is?
Hold a newspaper, business card, or something else with small writing near the coin and see if you can read the writing in the reflection on the coin. (Yeah, I know the writing will be reversed but you get the idea.)
in older coins the fields will look reflective but not like modern ones, also many times the relief will have a slight cameo (frosted) look. if the whole coin is bright it may have been just cleaned/polished.
Exactly which coin rolls are you looking through? Proofs/proof like coins seldom show up in unmarked rolls of coins ( unless the roll says "proofs" ). There are many shiney lustorus business strike coins that are not proofs. The term "proof like" is most commonly associated with Morgan Silver Dollars~ are those what you are looking at so we can give more info. Jim
Sorry, I should have noticed your avatar. I am chagrined to say that I know very little about Canadian coins, and how they are classified as to 'prooflike'. I will follow the thread, so I can add to my knowledge. Jim
There's your answer. PL is determined based on reflectivity. If you can read print clearly in the reflection at 2-4 inches, it's PL. If you can't it isn't.