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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;deefree, post: 2703764, member: 85263&quot;]iPen - Interesting questions! In the first case regarding the early release of coins to banks and the possible method of mintage;</p><p><br /></p><p>From what I&#039;ve read, proofs were struck on a special machine - in a completely separate area of the mint building. This machine used for proofs was capable of up to 300 to 400 TONS (!) of pressure per square inch. - (Flynn/Lincoln Cent Matte Proofs) The business strikes were made on a machine that exerted 60 tons per square inch. Also, the proofs were struck TWICE. This really enhanced the smallest details. If you have the pleasure of seeing in person, a nice 1916 Matte Lincoln, the detail can be literally breathtaking. (the 1916 matte proof was generally the best struck of all the mattes)</p><p><br /></p><p>The grading companies do designate &quot;PL&quot; or &quot;proof-like&quot; for some coins, usually silver dollars I believe. They have not in my knowledge, ever used this for matte proof Lincoln cents. I think if they did, it might even cause more confusion in an area where there already is enough! Collectors and dealers do speak about &quot;EDS&quot; or &quot;Early Die State&quot; coins but I&#039;ve never actually seen this on a slab label. (ok, no jokes about EDS - erectile dysfunction syndrome! This has nothing to do with coins, at least as far as I know!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to your first question regarding the banks. In David Lynch&#039;s great book about Lincoln Cents from 1995, he remarks about the crush for the new Lincoln cents when they were first released. People lined up outside the banks far out onto the sidewalks for a block or more. The bank officials had to limit the quantity you could get and they still ran out! Enterprising young boys were reselling the coins and they were able to get from up to 25 cents each. That was a tidy sum in 1909! Probably at least $3.00 today. Nevertheless, there wasn&#039;t anything special about the striking of these coins other than they were &quot;early run&quot; or &quot;first run&quot; and may have had a larger than normal amount of EDS and well struck specimens among them. There are no anecdotal reports about this however.</p><p><br /></p><p>So often, coin collecting has me wishing for a time machine! I would have been in that line at the bank! I would have been in San Francisco though!</p><p><br /></p><p>Your coin pictured in the OP looks like a nice strike. it has a nice rim that is even in depth all the way around. Exactly how well struck it is can be very hard to ascertain without seeing it in hand. For conversation sake, can you say it is &quot;proof-like&quot;? You certainly are free to do so but there isn&#039;t any OFFICIAL designation for that and honestly, I don&#039;t see that becoming an actual recognized designation - but - who knows what might happen...?</p><p><br /></p><p>A quick aside; There were collectors back then who liked to have proof issues every year. They were used to sending the mint a quarter to get their minor proof set of a nickel and a penny. The mint only ran a small amount of the VDB proofs and after just a few days, the VDB was removed from the die and that was the end for the VDB reverse. People who were used to collecting the proofs got cut off and some were irate about it. If you get Kevin Flynn&#039;s book, &quot;Lincoln Cent Matte Proofs&quot; in the appendix are some interesting letters in the mint archives&nbsp; by collectors who were quite upset at not getting their annual proof sets. Note that in 1909, there were three (!) proof pennies; The indian cent, the VDB and the Lincoln with the VDB. If someone managed to get all three, they were from a small and very lucky minority.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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