I have a 1834 classic head quarter eagle, small head type , 274. It has some nice semi PL surfaces but is lustrous (more of a cartwheel luster) on the reverse as well as some semi PL surfaces through the letters on the reverse and obverse. It must've been struck with a new die, and it may have once been fully PL I think. My question is this, the carthweel type luster, isn't that from more of a later die state? If it's from a new die, it won't have a cartwheel and should only be PL? Kind of contradicts itself.
We talk about proof and prooflike coins a bit on my thread here: http://www.cointalk.com/forum/t58435/
Not exactly. Remember, dies can be made prooflike by repolishing them, so a "worn" die can be make prooflike again through polishing. Not necessarily. Sometimes dies aren't prooflike when they start out, so the first coin off the press wouldn't necessarily be prooflike. While I'm not sure about this series and how they were made, this is certainly true of large cents of this time, and I suspect gold is no different. However, it is true that over time a prooflike die will become lustrous after being used. Sometimes it's true, other times it's not. Depends on how polished the die was when it was first used. If you remember that polishing the die is a separate (and later) step from making the die, it helps to make more sense. All of the above IMO, and recognizing I'm not nearly as knowledgeable in how die preparations were done for gold coinage of this period....Mike
