Hey all, so I saw a few pictures of graded proof (1964) Kennedy's, and I was wondering... what's the difference between any of the grades!?! I personally can't tell. MS65's look like 68's. Any help? Thanks
It's really tough to tell from pictures, especially with proof coins. Very tiny marks account for large swings in the grade. You really need to have the coin in hand, with a 5x or 10x loupe, to grade proof coins accurately. With modern raw proofs, frankly I don't even bother grading with precision. A PF-65 to PF-69 prices all about the same. If it's PF-70 (don't get me started), that's one thing. If it's an impaired proof, that's another thing. But for the most part, anything 1964 or later, it just doesn't mean that much.
I noticed (on Ebay) the prices for 68's were higher than those of 64's and 65's - but when I looked at them, I really couldn't tell at all!
I didn't see any 70's. I did see 68's though, which seem to have sold for anywhere from 15$ to 30$. And Cameos sell for a lot - how does one find a proof cameo (from the older sets) anyway? do they just appear in some proof sets?
Correct. They were usually the first coins struck from a die, and they just went into normal proof sets. Nearly all modern proofs are deep cameos, but the cameo effect is very difficult to find on older pieces. Usually, the further back you go, the harder it is to find. Most of the sets from the 50s and 60s, where cameo pieces carry a big premium, have already been picked over. It's certainly not impossible to buy proof sets from this era with cameo pieces in them, but very difficult.
1965-67 Kennedy's are one of my pet project for 1964-2009 MS & PR. If you can find a NGC or PCGS MS-65 & above 1964 for $15.00 jump on it! 1964 PR-65-68 are common and sell for about $25.00. but a PR-65 Ultra Cameo will cost more then there the SMS 1965 1966 1967 Cameo & Ultra Cameo I have picture a few. Cameo was an accident as they were moving the proof striking San Fran., 1965-67 Ultra Cameo are getting a lot of interest so if you can find then at a reasonable price I would buy it!
That about sizes it up, from what I can tell. I recently got into the particulars of grading these, figuring it's about time, what the hell? There are areas on both sides of the coins that naturally have abrasions from banging around in the bags, but that's not what tells the story on these grades, as by the time you get into the higher grades, those areas are for the most part are a non-issue (i.e, all the coins are pretty much "clean"). It's the little dings that differentiate these, their number and location on the coins. From what I've been able to determine, anyway...
