i have a kennedy proof question advice appreciated.

i have seen proof terms like matte and deep cameo, etc. i think i might have heard about a "frost" proof?? is there such a thing?

 

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frost/frosty/frostiness is used to describe the devices in a traditional proof ... with a reverse proof, the fields are frosted, the devices are mirrored

edit: frost is not a designation used on TPG slabs in other words

 

would it have a frosty look on the coin? like when you breathe warm air on a cold window?
here is 1 i consider to be normal
and one of my frosty ones?

 

look at kennedy in the first one, that kennedy bust is frosty while the field is mirrored ... the 2nd one still has a frosted kennedy, but seems to be impaired from circulation in the fields ... or it's just a bad picture, or you breathed on it

 

Try this link to clear up any confusion ... http://lynncoins.com/proofcoin_article.htm

 

so now that i am completely confused do i have one? and which is it? let me ask this...can the frostiness be rubbed off with your finger? please say no so i don't kick myself. definately no breathing. i hold my breath when examing i have 2 that are shiny and 2 that look almost like they have a very thin layer of grease?

 

Ok, those two kennedy's are the same type of coin ... they are both 1979-S Proof Half Dollars ... the US Mint did not make S-mint business strike kennedy halves ... the only (excluding varieties) variable with 79's is whether it's a type I and type II proof (this has to do with the mintmark) ... whether they are either I or II does not matter ... they are both proofs

The issue with them having different appearances I think comes from the fact that these coins would be considered circulated since you picked them up at a bank, perhaps even impaired proofs. That does not change the fact that these are indeed proofs. So no matter how many scratches, scuffs, haze, wear, whatever, they are still 1979-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proofs

 

ok...if i may...one more? as there are different types of proofs, is any one type of proof better than another? is it one of those a proof is a proof is a proof is a proof, etc?

 

That's the way the mint produced them back then, and the terminology to describe proof coins of that nature is 'coins with brilliant fields and frosty devices.

 

Laser technology is employed with proof coin production today. The laser etching imparts a totally different look from proofs prior to.......I forget......2009? 2010?

 

i'm sorry, i don't know what you're asking ... if it was prompted by my mentioning a type I and type II '79-S proof, disregard that ... that is a year specific variety where the mintmark is either globular (type I) or clear (type II) ... as for which is better, the type II is more valuable

 

Proof Kennedy from the era of which you speak.........





Proof example showing the new laser etching technology....

 

i may be saying things wrong because i usually do cents....its not the mintmark...it is the actual coin as a general. i have never seen a "frost" proof before and where 2 are different in appearance than the other 2 i was curios if i landed my first 2. it just so happens that this question fell on a specific year with variations. i ask because what i thought was a film on the coin i started rub it off the first one, but thought i should ask about the frost thing so i didn't damage a potentially more valuable coin.

 

those two are different because of something that happened after they left the mint ... nothing more, no different proofs, no frosted vs. non frosted proofs ... if it's any consolation, i think that first kennedy is a clear S variety ... anyone else seeing a clear S?

 

Interpret "frost" as "white". Or "snowy white" if you will.

A frosty proof would be a coin which has "white" looking devices and mirrored fields.

A "proof" coin which looks all "white" could be a matte proof coin (which could also be referred to as frosty) OR it could be a proof coin with impaired surfaces, which means its been messed with or has been circulated or that it simply has a "haze" in the fields.

Generally speaking, "frosty" could be loosely translated as "knee buckling, eye popping, moan inducing" gorgeous! No questions asked.

 

Frosty.

 

the first pic is how a normal 79 looks. the 2nd and 3rd pics are of the coin where i rubbed the "film" off. the 4th and 5th pics are of the one i did nothing too. there is shine under the film but i don't want to rub it off with a cloth if that is how the coin is SUPPOSE to be.

 

i did get 1 clear S