Hi im new to coins well not spending but collecting hehe and in the near future im going to buy an metal detector to search for hidden treasure (coins etc)hehe. Ive seen on ebay etc that they say the coins are specimen in folder proof proof fdc proof in silver proof in gold and is there any more i should no about? i mainly want to no what proof and fdc means and how i can tell they are proof and fdc coins. Thanks for any help and i think il be here for along time on this forum because ive been looking for a forum like this for ages on coins and now ive found one great hope we all get rich soon
aboard skipper. In overly siimplified terms: Proofs are specially struck for collectors rather than for circulation. Polished planchets (coin blanks) are struck two or more times, using highly polished dies. The hoped for result is a coin with mirror-like fields and devices with a frosted appearance. "FDC" is the abbreviation of a French term meaning "flower of the coins", and is applied to well struck prooflike coins, generally from countries which don't produce separate proof and circulation coins. Specimen is also a term sometimes used in referring to proof-like coins, and sometimes used by government mints for part of their production. Actually skipper, most of us at this forum are in it for the joy of collecting and enjoying the artwork, the technical achievements of the minters, and the history reflected by the designs and past usage of our coins, not to get rich. There are a few investors among us, with that aim in life, but the rest of us keep trying to convert them to the true path.
thank you sakootoko im actually ordering a metel detector tomorrow from http://www.regton.com/hobby_index.htm go into metal detectors and make Scanmaster and its the bottom one of them all its cheap but best out of the lot then it gets too high in price hehe And also could you notice very well the difference between a proof and none proof or have you got to be very good at it?
Most coins have a mintmark on them which is a tiny letter identifying where it was minted. These days majority of proofs are made in San Francisco and have the letter 's'. Buy the RedBook at your local coins shop. It's one of the most important books I own and you can get it pretty cheap ($10) It'll teach you the basics of coins collecting and all the lingo that is used. I bought one last year and the pages are already falling out I've used it so much. Welcome to the forum- Bill
I have a £1 Wales R Menai Staits Bridge and the denomination made in 2005. And if you put your index finger etc up close you can see it in the coin unlike other coins. I got this from cerculation. Is that classed as proof?
Hi Skipper and welcome to the forum, you will find that most coins are nice bright & shinney when they are 1st issued but if you want to see what proofs look like then check out the Royal Mint's web page. Good luck with the metal detector but dont forget to get permision from the landowner 1st :thumb: De Orc
If you picked it up from circulation, it is not "proof" any more. A circulating coin gets in contact with other coins, resulting in (possibly minor) scratches, and is touched which results in fingerprints and ultimately wear. But that £1 coin may well have been from a cracked proof set. On the other hand, not every mirror-like coin is a proof piece. When a coin comes "fresh from the mint" (uncirculated), it will almost always look nice and not worn. An uncirculated coin will usually be shiny while a proof coin will often look partly shiny and partly "frosted". As De Orc mentioned, have a look at the Royal Mint's site. This page http://www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/AboutUs/MakingCoins/CollectorCoin.asp for example explains what a proof piece is. Christian
Actually, circulated or not, it is still a proof. Proof coins can grade below 60 for just this reason. Once a proof, always a proof as a proof coin, as stated above, is minted with a different planchet and process. So PR50 is a legitimate proof grade, as an example. This happens with some old buffalo nickel proofs, since the regular coins were very prooflike themselves, a number of proof samples ended up getting into the mainstream as folks did not really recognize them, or care enough to keep them. They now show up in holders with PR designations, but numeric grades that could go down to the VG level or less (though I've never seen such). It would still be a proof.
That makes sense. My point of view was rather that of a buyer - if I bought a coin that is described as a "proof" coin (without further information), I would expect a flawless proof piece. Christian
