I tried to figure out on my own if any of these are a proof coin but had no luck. If any of them are, can you tell me what to look for on future coins? And thank you for all the help and info! It's very much appreciated. Also can anyone tell me what is going on with the forehead on the 1959 half penny? It looks weird to me.
Proof coins, even ones that have coexisted, have several characteristics. Among them: Remnants of mirror like fields. Even a heavily circulated proof coin will have some areas of mirror like fields, hidden under the wear squared rims. In American coins, at least, proofs tend to have squared rims that stand out despite any wear. lastly, it’s not something that can be explained, but see enough proof coins and you will be able to tell at a glance if something is a proof or not. basically, just because a coin is in rather good for condition does not a proof make.
Thank you @mike estes. The coins were found in a coin star machine with the exception of one that a friend gave me. And I took the pictures with a WiFi microscope that I just got on Friday. I’m very happy with the quality of the images considering we paid less than $20 for it!
That’s just it @Dynoking. I am still learning a lot about this hobby and most of my coins are US coins that are barely above face value in worth. So when I went online to check the value of those coins I came across values for both business and proof strikes along with metal composition and description. One of my foreign coins I was able to determine by myself because I found info that told me that even though the metal composition and description were identical, the proof coin had a slightly different diameter. I couldn’t find any such info on the coins I posted. I understand the difference between strikes on US coins but didn’t know if it was the same for other countries. That is why I decided to check with you guys.
