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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;satootoko, post: 18708, member: 669&quot;]I&#039;m don&#039;t collect U.S. coins, so the only references I have are a 2003 Red Book and the Krause catalog.&nbsp; Neither one specifies how many proofs were minted in 1858, but both quote values for Philadelphia (no mint mark) proof coins, so clearly some were made.&nbsp; Normally proof mintages are given for the actual number of coins produced as proofs, not sets they may have been in.Proofs are specially prepared from polished planchets, usually given a double strike, and otherwise handled with special care by mint workers.&nbsp; They generally have mirror-like fields, and frequently have devices with a frosted appearance.&nbsp; When you compare a proof and a business strike side-by-side there is seldom any doubt which is which.Including the Philadelphia and New Orleans mints, there were 5,160,000 1858 half dimes, every one of them having 1.24 grams of .900 silver, with a diameter of 14.4mm.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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