Should cameo disruptions on a proof prevent a PF-69 grade?

Hey ya all! Feelin' a little down today, so figured that I should have one of my questions answered. Ya all know those tiny, tiny, nicks you can't see a distinct shape to but cause shiny spots in the cameo contrast/ Should they prevent a 69 grade?
How about a joke?
a kid moves to Washington DC and starts going to school. A friendly kid asks him his name, and he responds, Imasonofa *ahem* The friendly student, not very smart, says, "Hi, I'masonofa *ahem*!" Unfortunately, the kind heated child is laughed at. Poor guy. It just goes to show, wisdom is very important.

 

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Cameo designation and grade are not related.

 

Which I find odd. Isn't the amount of cameo directly related to the strike, and isn't the strike part of the grade?

 

Cameo is from overly polished dies/planchets....right?

 

HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Do I always have explain my threads??!?! Well, in any case, I was refering to modern proofs.

 

He answered your question quite directly.

 

There are many PF69 coins with no cameo at all.

 

Cameo contrast is not related to strength of strike. Modern proof coinage is typically cameo because the dies are acid etched or laser etched to produce the cameo affect on the struck planchet. Proof coinage from 1970 or thereabouts, and prior, is cameo if relatively fresh dies were used that had been treated during cleaning and preparation. As the dies were continually used, the delicate cameo devices would slowly erode to produce a more brilliant and mirrored finish.

 

Thanks for clarifying that, Tom. I suppose that's why you find so many DCAMS in the 90's onward...

 

Disruptions in the cameo can change the grade, it is usually a tiny area of frost missing from the cameo that prevents a coin from getting the PR-70 grade. Of course this really only applies to PR-69 and PR-70 coins.

 

I said disruptions, not desisignations. I mean disruptions caused by tiny nicks.

 

Thanks for clearing that up Doug.

 

This is a fun video to watch. You can skip the first minute - it's just fluff. But the rest is quite interesting as a general overview of modern proof minting...

[video=youtube;Y0gR9Fn5qsQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0gR9Fn5qsQ[/video]