I put on gloves when I broke out a proof cent to photograph. Just didn't want to risk getting a fingerprint on it. I took out an older proof to photograph without gloves, and it was clean as a whistle before, but when I put it back there was a noticeable print on it...
No, they don't, or rather they didn't. I say that in the past tense because machines handle the Proof coins now, not people.
I have received Proof sets in mint mailers with big ole finger prints on coins, inside the sealed plastic.
OK, so take your last 2 posts and put them together. In one you say the Proofs had fingerprints, in the other you show somebody wearing finger cots. So if one is true then the other should not be. Your picture shows a mint inspector doing a spot check on a coin, not what happens in regular production.
Lincoln cent resource says mint employees wear white gloves when handling the proofs and they are assembled all by hand by the employees. Where did you hear that the entire process is done by machines? http://www.lincolncentresource.com/Proofs.html They must be mistaken though, right?
Not so long ago there was a video posted here that showed the process at the mint as to how the Proofs were handled. It showed them all going down an assembly line on a conveyor belt being plucked off by machines and placed in the plastic cases. The mint has used automated processes for quite a few years.
I will jump in just to make one comment. I teach chemistry classes, both lecture and lab. Many new students come in with a deadly fear of both, and several over the years have expressed a desire to wear gloves in the lab. I have tried to discourage this because of the loss of sensitivity due to wearing gloves. I have never had issues with students harming themselves by not wearing gloves. As to the use of gloves with coins and mint employees, I will just say that if it is made a condition of the job, you do it whether you agree with it or not.
I sure hope they spot check production (regular or otherwise), and in a statistically significant manner. I do not see the logic in your comparison of unrelated things. Both things I proffered are truths. I was amazed by the big ole print on the Proof SBA's with the unusual S. Yet there they were obvious as could be behind the plastic. And the other proof sets of that year did not have prints on the normal coins. I pointed this out to the buyers but there was no stopping them. I suspect foul play at the mint, but perhaps that is .... what it is ... Somebody at the mint put their grubby print on those proof coins. I recall reading somewhere that mint coins were handled with special considerations in many areas (before automation - not that automation would necessarily exclude a coin from being pulled out somewhere (QC maybe) checked and put back in the stream) which included use of gloves for proof coins, but that was long ago and I have no claim other than having experienced sealed proof sets with prints. It is also obvious that mint employees wear protective gear at least at some times. I like the idea of those finger covers, minimal loss of dexterity, minimal cause of sweat. We all gotta make a group discount purchase
Regardless of who you are talking to you need to always remember that anyone can be wrong or make a mistake. God knows I've made my share of them. But when I do make a mistake I have no problem when it is pointed out, and I will gladly step up, admit my mistake, and usually thank the person correcting me. I have posted on this forum for over 10 years for two reasons - 1 I enjoy it. I like to talk about coins, see coins, learn about coins. And 2 - to share knowledge. My sig line is not merely about me sharing my knowledge. It is instead an inducement for anyone and everyone to share knowledge. For it is only by the sharing of knowledge that the truth can ever be known. In this day and age there is a lot of information out there. Some of it is good, accurate information. But a lot of is bad, inaccurate information. And it is the sharing of knowledge that allows us to separate the wheat from the chaff
I've seen finger cots being used before. http://blog.coinsupplyplanet.com/why-wear-finger-cots-when-handling-coins/
