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***LEARNING About Matte Proof Lincolns***
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<p>[QUOTE="The Penny Lady®, post: 671561, member: 16948"]There is a lot of helpful information out there on Matte Proof Lincolns, so I thought I'd post some of it here, along with the sources where I found the information so you could read more if you desired. I'm hoping this information will help those interested in this series get started in LEARNING more about MPL's.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the definition of MPL is<font face="Arial"><span style="color: Black"><i> "</i><i>an experimental <a href="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/proof.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/proof.html" rel="nofollow">proof</a> <a href="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/strike.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/strike.html" rel="nofollow">strike</a> that has a textured sandblast appearance. These were produced from 1907 to 1916 and had less reflectivity than the <a href="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/business_strike.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/business_strike.html" rel="nofollow">business strike</a>s.</i></span></font> <span style="color: Black"><i><font face="Arial">"</font></i></span></p><p><span style="color: Black"><i><font size="3"><br /></font></i></span></p><p><span style="color: Black"><i><font size="3"></font></i></span><font size="3"><i>[FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica]"The 1909 VDB Matte Proof Lincoln cent boasts one of the lowest survival rates of any proof or business strike Lincoln cent produced from 1909 to date. The delicate and stimulating matte finish, along with the scarcity of Matte Proof Lincoln cents has captured the imagination of both experienced and new collectors. For years, the 1909 VDB Matte Proof Lincoln cents were one of the most underrated and unappreciated series in the U.S. coin market. Today, they comprise one of the most explosive and irresistible items in a series that has really begun to take off. [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]</i>" </font><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Jaime Hernandez <font size="4">- June 8, 2009 <a href="http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=5746" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=5746" rel="nofollow">http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=5746</a></font></font></font></p><p><br /></p><p>In my experience with MPL's, I agree that Matte Proof Lincolns have taken off in recent years and have become very popular. I believe their popularity is due in part because they are so uniquely struck and each individual year has an amazingly low mintage: </p><p><br /></p><p>1909 vdb - 1,194*</p><p>1909 - 2,618</p><p>1910 - 4,083</p><p>1911 - 2,411</p><p>1912 - 2,372</p><p>1913 - 2,983</p><p>1914 - 1,365</p><p>1915 - 1,150</p><p>1916 - 600*</p><p> </p><p>*As most know, even though the 1916 shows a much lower mintage than the 1909 vdb, for various reasons the 1909 vdb is considered the most rare with the lowest survival rate of all the MPL's, thereby making its value or sales figures much higher than any other MPL. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of the reasons given for this being such a short series is that the granular surface was not popular among collectors. Here's a paragraph from an interesting article I found on Ebay which gives a brief history of MPL's:</p><p><font face="Arial"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><i>"VERY Popular among modern collectors are the 1909 - 1916 Matte Proof Lincolns. Only a few thousand on the average were coined each year, and had an unusual granular appearance. The MINT used this style, which was then popular in France, because the fields of the Lincoln cent were compound curvatures and the mint had no equipment able to polish dies like this. During the period, collectors did not embrace the MATTE appearance, and sales of the coins dropped off. The LAST matte proof Lincolns were made in 1916, though there are possibilities of a few 1917s existing.</i>"</font> <a href="http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335874456&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Freviews.ebay.com%2FMATTE-PROOF-LINCOLNS_W0QQugidZ10000000005630063" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335874456&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Freviews.ebay.com%2FMATTE-PROOF-LINCOLNS_W0QQugidZ10000000005630063" rel="nofollow">http://reviews.ebay.com/MATTE-PROOF-LINCOLNS_W0QQugidZ10000000005630063</a></p><p><br /></p><p>As most experienced collectors will agree, buy a good resource book on whatever series you like. There is a fantastic book containing the most thorough and up to date information on MPL's: Kevin Flynn's "Lincoln Cent Matte Proof Lincolns." I have this book and have learned so much I didn't know about this short series and highly recommend it to anyone interested in MPL's. Kevin's book is described as <font face="Arial"><i>"The only book devoted entirely to matte proof Lincoln Cents. Over 250 color and black and white photos provide die diagnostics descriptions to identify and authenticate matte proof Lincoln Cents. Included are die state diagnostics and photographs of previously unpublished diagnostics and die combinations." </i></font> <a href="http://www.coinlink.com/Books/lincoln-cent-matte-proofs-by-kevin-flynn/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.coinlink.com/Books/lincoln-cent-matte-proofs-by-kevin-flynn/" rel="nofollow">http://www.coinlink.com/Books/lincoln-cent-matte-proofs-by-kevin-flynn/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>One of the hardest things about MPL's is determining if it is a business strike or an MPL since MPL's don't have the usual mirror finish that most other proofs have. The most significant diagnostic in telling the difference between an MPL and a business strike Lincoln is the sharpness of the rim. Below is a great photo taken by Brian Wagner of a 1910 MPL side by side to a 1910 business strike Lincoln which clearly demonstrates the difference in the rims of MPL's compared to the business strike. Also below is a photo of a "rimfin" shot (1910 shot out of holder showing reverse knife like edge).</p><p><br /></p><p>The other, more difficult diagnostic for MPL's are die markers, which are different for each coin. Here's a thread I found on the PCGS forum with some excellent photos of diagnostics for the 1911 MPL: <a href="http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=612105" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=612105" rel="nofollow">http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=612105</a></p><p><br /></p><p>For example, in this PCGS post, member Robec states, <font face="Arial"><i>"The most constant of all the diagnostics [for a 1911 MPL] that I have observed, regardless of die state, is the extra metal that rest inside the forks of the Y in LIBERTY." </i></font>See photo below.</p><p><br /></p><p>Robec goes on to state: <i>"<font face="Arial">There are a couple of unlisted “diagnostic” that have also been observed. At first, because it wasn’t on the list, I had thought my coin was marred with a scratch of gouge from the rim to the G in GOD. After talking with Brian, it was discovered that he had the same marks on a couple of his 1911’s. The cool part of this is that he sent me images of 3 different die states, early, middle and late. Images from seven different 1911’s that Dave currently or previously has owned shows this “diagnostic” in mid die state on three of them. Brian believes an employee might have caused this gouge." </font></i><font face="Arial">See more photos posted below showing this "gauge."</font></p><p><br /></p><p>These are just a few examples of diagnostics for one MPL, but you get the idea. Some of the diagnostics are very difficult to see but are also very important if you are trying to determine whether the well struck detailed Lincoln cent you found might really be an MPL. There are also are some great close up photos of most of the specific diagnostics in Flynn's book as well.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is so much information to be learned about MPL's, but let me end with this. The popularity and marketing of MPL's has been discussed at length on separate threads here at CoinTalk and in other forums, but if you gain nothing else from reading those posts and this post, please remember this: Read, study, research, discuss, ask, observe - do whatever it takes, just be sure you LEARN the series you're interested in BEFORE you jump in and start buying!</p><p><br /></p><p>And to reward you for getting all the way through this thread, at the very bottom is one of my favorite MPL's (the very rare 1916 PCGS PF65 BN) - enjoy![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="The Penny Lady®, post: 671561, member: 16948"]There is a lot of helpful information out there on Matte Proof Lincolns, so I thought I'd post some of it here, along with the sources where I found the information so you could read more if you desired. I'm hoping this information will help those interested in this series get started in LEARNING more about MPL's. First, the definition of MPL is[FONT=Arial][COLOR=Black][I] "[/I][I]an experimental [URL="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/proof.html"]proof[/URL] [URL="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/strike.html"]strike[/URL] that has a textured sandblast appearance. These were produced from 1907 to 1916 and had less reflectivity than the [URL="http://en.mimi.hu/numismatic/business_strike.html"]business strike[/URL]s.[/I][/COLOR][/FONT] [COLOR=Black][I][FONT=Arial]"[/FONT] [SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/I][/COLOR][SIZE=3][I][FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica]"The 1909 VDB Matte Proof Lincoln cent boasts one of the lowest survival rates of any proof or business strike Lincoln cent produced from 1909 to date. The delicate and stimulating matte finish, along with the scarcity of Matte Proof Lincoln cents has captured the imagination of both experienced and new collectors. For years, the 1909 VDB Matte Proof Lincoln cents were one of the most underrated and unappreciated series in the U.S. coin market. Today, they comprise one of the most explosive and irresistible items in a series that has really begun to take off. [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/I]" [/SIZE][FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Jaime Hernandez [SIZE=4]- June 8, 2009 [URL]http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=5746[/URL][/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT] In my experience with MPL's, I agree that Matte Proof Lincolns have taken off in recent years and have become very popular. I believe their popularity is due in part because they are so uniquely struck and each individual year has an amazingly low mintage: 1909 vdb - 1,194* 1909 - 2,618 1910 - 4,083 1911 - 2,411 1912 - 2,372 1913 - 2,983 1914 - 1,365 1915 - 1,150 1916 - 600* *As most know, even though the 1916 shows a much lower mintage than the 1909 vdb, for various reasons the 1909 vdb is considered the most rare with the lowest survival rate of all the MPL's, thereby making its value or sales figures much higher than any other MPL. One of the reasons given for this being such a short series is that the granular surface was not popular among collectors. Here's a paragraph from an interesting article I found on Ebay which gives a brief history of MPL's: [FONT=Arial] [I]"VERY Popular among modern collectors are the 1909 - 1916 Matte Proof Lincolns. Only a few thousand on the average were coined each year, and had an unusual granular appearance. The MINT used this style, which was then popular in France, because the fields of the Lincoln cent were compound curvatures and the mint had no equipment able to polish dies like this. During the period, collectors did not embrace the MATTE appearance, and sales of the coins dropped off. The LAST matte proof Lincolns were made in 1916, though there are possibilities of a few 1917s existing.[/I]"[/FONT] [URL="http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335874456&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Freviews.ebay.com%2FMATTE-PROOF-LINCOLNS_W0QQugidZ10000000005630063"]http://reviews.ebay.com/MATTE-PROOF-LINCOLNS_W0QQugidZ10000000005630063[/URL] As most experienced collectors will agree, buy a good resource book on whatever series you like. There is a fantastic book containing the most thorough and up to date information on MPL's: Kevin Flynn's "Lincoln Cent Matte Proof Lincolns." I have this book and have learned so much I didn't know about this short series and highly recommend it to anyone interested in MPL's. Kevin's book is described as [FONT=Arial][I]"The only book devoted entirely to matte proof Lincoln Cents. Over 250 color and black and white photos provide die diagnostics descriptions to identify and authenticate matte proof Lincoln Cents. Included are die state diagnostics and photographs of previously unpublished diagnostics and die combinations." [/I][/FONT] [URL]http://www.coinlink.com/Books/lincoln-cent-matte-proofs-by-kevin-flynn/[/URL] One of the hardest things about MPL's is determining if it is a business strike or an MPL since MPL's don't have the usual mirror finish that most other proofs have. The most significant diagnostic in telling the difference between an MPL and a business strike Lincoln is the sharpness of the rim. Below is a great photo taken by Brian Wagner of a 1910 MPL side by side to a 1910 business strike Lincoln which clearly demonstrates the difference in the rims of MPL's compared to the business strike. Also below is a photo of a "rimfin" shot (1910 shot out of holder showing reverse knife like edge). The other, more difficult diagnostic for MPL's are die markers, which are different for each coin. Here's a thread I found on the PCGS forum with some excellent photos of diagnostics for the 1911 MPL: [URL]http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=612105[/URL] For example, in this PCGS post, member Robec states, [FONT=Arial][I]"The most constant of all the diagnostics [for a 1911 MPL] that I have observed, regardless of die state, is the extra metal that rest inside the forks of the Y in LIBERTY." [/I][/FONT]See photo below. Robec goes on to state: [I]"[FONT=Arial]There are a couple of unlisted “diagnostic” that have also been observed. At first, because it wasn’t on the list, I had thought my coin was marred with a scratch of gouge from the rim to the G in GOD. After talking with Brian, it was discovered that he had the same marks on a couple of his 1911’s. The cool part of this is that he sent me images of 3 different die states, early, middle and late. Images from seven different 1911’s that Dave currently or previously has owned shows this “diagnostic” in mid die state on three of them. Brian believes an employee might have caused this gouge." [/FONT][/I][FONT=Arial]See more photos posted below showing this "gauge."[/FONT] These are just a few examples of diagnostics for one MPL, but you get the idea. Some of the diagnostics are very difficult to see but are also very important if you are trying to determine whether the well struck detailed Lincoln cent you found might really be an MPL. There are also are some great close up photos of most of the specific diagnostics in Flynn's book as well. There is so much information to be learned about MPL's, but let me end with this. The popularity and marketing of MPL's has been discussed at length on separate threads here at CoinTalk and in other forums, but if you gain nothing else from reading those posts and this post, please remember this: Read, study, research, discuss, ask, observe - do whatever it takes, just be sure you LEARN the series you're interested in BEFORE you jump in and start buying! And to reward you for getting all the way through this thread, at the very bottom is one of my favorite MPL's (the very rare 1916 PCGS PF65 BN) - enjoy![/QUOTE]
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