I've been looking at V Nickel prices at PCGS and wondering why the PR values are much less than MS. Is it more the demand of such coins or is there a more technical reason? I personally like the MS grades visually but always assumed proofs were more valuable as there are fewer minted.
I recently bought an 1885 PR64 for way less than I would have had to pay for the same coin in MS64. There were 3790 proofs made that year and most have probably survived in their original condition. Folks back then spent their business strike coins and very few were saved in top condition. That's a very good question you ask and one everyone should be aware of...don't get fooled into thinking the proof of a "key" date coin is the same as the "key" date coin itself.
