Hey guys, I've seen quite a few US 19th century proofs in the last year which were great coins, but had a mild haze in the fields. I'm talkin' about silver, mostly 50c and $1. 1860s, 70s, and 80s. Does any one have any comments ? What causes it ? It seems pretty typical. Are there many which are haze-free ?
Thanks, guys. I'll try to get shots of these coins, but it will be tricky. For one thing, it's always difficult to capture colors or true patina with a camera. Since haze is pretty subtle to begin with, it will be interesting to see if it comes across at all. So if it's not toning, what else causes haze ?
Haze is far more common on the more modern Proofs than on the older ones. It is believed to be caused by the washing process the mint uses on Proof planchets that are then not rinsed properly. The mint does not and has not always used the same process - they experiment on a regular basis. And sometimes their experiments do not work out so well. Back in 2000 they did this and a lot of the sets from that year ended up a mess. Haze on Proofs is often seen back to the '50s. But the older the coin the less often you see it. So it could be a combination of poor storage and the washing process. All of that being said, I have long had a theory that what we call haze on Proof coins could be the very beginning stages of toning. Never been able to prove it and doubt I ever will since I quit collecting coins. You'd have to watch the coins for years to see if that is what happens later.
