Is anyone else tired of all U.S. mint proof coinage being basically CAM/DCAM's? I mean I wish the frost wasn't the 'snakeskin' look for one thing, but overall I find them pretty boring. I think I'd enjoy it more if there was some thrill in the hunt again and proof coins came like the late 60's with some variety. Where some would have cameo's, some would be mirrored and others would just be very nice looking basic proofs. Maybe it would work to spice up proof set sales and modern proof coinage in general by offering any sort of variety besides cookie cutter PR68-70 CAM/DCAM for basically every coin minted.
It would definitely be interesting and make looking through proof sets more worthwhile. It would stink to be the one that ordered a ton of proof sets at mint issue price and end up with all non-cameo coins (especially if the market priced them below issue price right away). However, it could spike sales for people chasing the better cameos. The closest I've seen to this phenomenon involves the 1 oz proof platinum coins (mainly the obverse with the Statue of Liberty). They all still get graded dcam but if you look at the 2014, 2015, and 2016 coins, they all have a weaker cameo than the earlier dates.
I like burnished eagles better than proofs so I would like some variety. I would like it if the mint offered more strike types. Not random quality though.
The mint has made a point of making sure that their Proof coins are cameo since 1973. It was only prior to that date that they didn't care. Before '73 only the early strikes of the Proof issues were cameo and they were few in number. That is because the cameo effect on the dies wears off with use. And it is the scarcity of the pre-'73 Proof issues with the cameo effect that makes them so desirable to collectors. My point here, it's been over 40 years since the issue of cameo/non-cameo even existed, and it's not likely to return. That is because the mint recognized that long ago that the Proof issues are supposed to be the finest examples that can be produced. And they do everything they can to ensure that they are. And by definition that creates what you refer to as the cookie-cutter effect.
Well, go to an auto parts store and buy rubbing compound. Use it on your CAM/DCAM proofs. Voila! No more cookie-cutter look. Cal
It sounds funny to me that people are now complaining that the Mint makes the coins too well! When will people be happy???
If the mint made proof coins in the quality like they did in the late 70's early 80's I wouldn't mind so much. But they have continually lowered the relief since then and now the frost consists of the laser etched snake skin appearance which simply doesn't look good. All the mints improvements have been done for cost reasons for the mint not to make better coins for collectors. The mint had the quality figured out in the 80's, since then they've only made the coins look worse. The really sad thing is the mint simply doesn't care anymore imo. Edit to add these photos I found demonstrating the frost change. Does anyone really think it looks better now?
I don't. They kind of over did everything which makes every proof look like it has big defects in my opinion. I don't think they should go back to the old only some are cam, but toning it down a notch and doing some different finishes like other world mints do would be a nice change of pace.