Hi all, Just wanted to find out from you all whether the 1964 lincoln proofs you've seen have had a strong strike and "satiny" finish to them (implying fresh dies)...I have around 50-60 of them (most of them sealed) and they all appear to lack strong mirrors and show "satin"-like bands of luster when rolled under direct light (especially on the reverse). Earlier proofs in the series (60-63) all seem to be brilliant and exhibit worn details (lack of head detail). Is it possible that the mint replace the proof dies in 1964?
I've got a nice 64 Proof cent with great luster, and a nice toning to it. I just freed it out of the 64 proof set I've had for awhile. The Kennedy was developing milk spot hazing, so I took it out and put it in my silver half dollar coin book. The only thing about the 64 cent I have is, there is a tiny black speck under the word "In". I think it would probably get a details grade. If that speck weren't there I'd send it in for grading just because. When I get more time I'll post pics of it.
Actually this would indicate worn out dies, not new dies. New Proof dies would result in coins with a strong mirror finish and a cameo effect on the devices. Back then the mint didn't really care if the Proofs they produced came out exactly as intended. So it was their habit to use the Proof dies to strike a great many more coins than they should have. So as the dies wore due to metal flow the first thing to go was the cameo effect on the devices, then the mirrors would begin to suffer. This did not change until 1973. From then on the Proofs pretty much all had strong mirrors and the cameo effect that was intended.
