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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;iPen, post: 2747340, member: 69760&quot;]OK, as I was filling out PCGS&#039;s online submission form, there was no choice for the proof version. However, they do have a proof record - they have graded in the past and have a unique number assigned to a proof version, though they no longer allow further submissions.</p><p><br /></p><p>That said, I sent them a bunch of research that I had. One of which is this article below from the American Journal of Numismatics, Vol 27-29 in 1893, where the numismatists give a first hand account of the coin. Of particular interest is the very last paragraph, where the numismatists working for the Journal seem to agree that the proper classification for the coin is one of &quot;medallic or commemorative&quot; status. This is important because it relates the coin directly to the proof-like medals of the time, and distinguishes it from the circulation strike coins. What&#039;s interesting is the remarks on the &quot;low relief&quot; nature of the devices. As the very first commemorative coin, it&#039;s my opinion that numismatists expected something similar to the relief heights seen on European commemoratives or medals, as it&#039;s referenced a number of times elsewhere that these Columbian &quot;souvenir&quot; coins were thought to not circulate but rather be kept as collection pieces.</p><p><br /></p><p>Couple this with the momentous celebration of the 400th anniversary founding of America at the Chicago World&#039;s Fair, and the case for a proof strike is more compelling. This event called for a coin spectacular enough to coincide with the novel and grand display of electricity and the Ferris wheel attraction invented for the occasion. Even the tickets were made of paper money quality!</p><p><br /></p><p>If that&#039;s not quite enough, one only needs to look at uncirculated examples of either the Isabella quarter or the Columbian half dollar. They <i>all </i>have sharp edges and are well struck. Some have frosty devices, and others have proof-like fields or even pass deep mirror proof-like testing. Therefore, we know that the dies were specially prepared for the Chicago World&#039;s Fair. And, these souvenir halves were struck <i>by hand</i> using medal presses, which have higher pressures - are the results of this higher pressure strike essentially the same as the double strikes on proof coins? If so, what is the <i>practical</i> difference between the medallic strike of the Columbian half dollar and Isabella quarters, and standard proof strikes of the time?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]628383[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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