I have a question in regards to canadian coinage. I often browse eBay and other coin sites. I am a little confused on the term (PL, Proof Like). Is this just a canadian proof coin or are these from the uncirculated specimen sets? I have the spiral bound book "Canadian Coins" A Charlton Standard Catalogue 59th Edition 2005. Maybe I overlooked something but I couldn't find any listing of these terms used in the book. I figured it to be a good idea to learn about these coins before I start purchasing them. David
Proof like is a term used when talking about a business strike coin - not a Proof coin. Generally it means that the devices of the coin are very clear & sharp and that the fields are very clean, smooth, almost polished as a Proof coin is. It is used to describe an exceptional coin. But take note - a coin can be Proof like and yet not grade particularly high. For example - you can have MS63 PL and you can have MS68 PL.
I was wanting to know because I see different pricing on these coins and I wasn't sure what it all meant. I just wanted to know what I am buying before I buy. Thanks! David
No. A prooflike coin is just a circulation quality strike that has the appearence of prooflike qualities in the fields. While specimen strikes are often prooflike, it is not necessary. The prooflike surface comes on early strikes when the die is polished and sharp.
The term 'Prooflike' applies to those coins that are struck on specially selected dies,but it is struck once,not twice as on 'Proof' coins.In other words, 'Prooflike' is better than Unc.,but not quite good enough to be Proof grade.
What AW said is the proper definition. "prooflike" is not an adjective, but rather a seperate type. For say, 1973 Canadian coins, you can have MS65 (regular circulation), PL65 (prooflike set), and SP65 (specimen set). Specimens and prooflikes are confused sometimes as they look very simular. Use of a term like MS65PL in Canadian grading is incorrect, I note NGC uses this incorrect assignment. The difference between a MS and PL strike is important as for certain dates, a circulation strike in better UNC grade may be a condition rarity, while the PL strikes may be relatively common in comparison. -ie. a MS65 1964 $1 is definately worth more than a PL65 of the same.
