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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Jaelus, post: 6227034, member: 46237&quot;]Might as well be describing a proof? Yes, that&#039;s <i>literally the whole point</i>. Proof-like, meaning, like a proof. In some cases, proof-like coins are all but indistinguishable from proofs, except maybe the squared edges and some difficult to articulate aspects of general appearance. Technically though, the method of manufacture differs between proofs and proof-like coins. While the dies may be equivalent, the planchet preparation is different, as is the method of striking of the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, by classic issues, I mean broadly the coins issued after the adoption of the steam press, but prior to the modern coinage period (the dates differ by country but generally early 19th century to mid 20th).</p><p><br /></p><p>I have in my collection a pair of exceptional gem 1892 korona with the same extremely distinctive pattern of cabinet toning. This is a key date, and this pair came from an old European collection. One of the coins is a matte business strike, and the other is a proof-like business strike. This pair of coins was collected and preserved together because they were prized for their different finishes. This is neither a modern concept nor marketing hype. These strikes are and have historically been significant to collectors. You are simply wrong on this point.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It has the appearance of being a proof without being a proof. The surfaces are mirrored and impair like the surfaces of a proof, and the devices are frosted. And this is because it <i>wasn&#039;t</i> produced in the same way as its contemporaries. The proof-like example was struck with a pair of freshly polished dies. This produced a few proof-like examples, after which it very quickly produced matte business strikes. The dies themselves changed after those initial strikes. This is in the same way that a coin with shattered dies was struck &quot;in the same way&quot; as the coins struck while the die was intact. Yet the coins struck with shattered dies are collected and studied for that reason and are special, frequently designated as LDS or TDS (late or terminal die state).</p><p><br /></p><p>From my collection, I present the following two examples of the <i>exact same issue</i> for comparison:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hungary 1869KB AR 20 Krajczár KM-446 (1868-1869)</b></p><p><b>NGC MS65</b></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1246141[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hungary 1869KB AR 20 Krajczár KM-446 (1868-1869)</b></p><p><b>NGC MS64+ PL</b></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1246142[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>If you want a US example, here&#039;s another pair of identical issues from my collection, an 1880S Morgan dollar, both a typical business strike and a proof-like example.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1246150[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1246151[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Surely you see the marked difference between the above pairs of coins, yes? Toning notwithstanding, the eye appeal of a proof-like coin will usually surpass a matte business strike graded significantly higher. For example, I kept an MS61PL gold issue in my collection over upgrading to an MS64 a couple years ago, since the 61 had superior eye appeal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whether or not you take stock in the designation &quot;proof-like&quot; itself, can you not appreciate that these coins are significantly different and that a way to describe these coins to collectors is both very meaningful and necessary? It is why you see this terminology used in all markets, which predominantly includes raw coins for world issues. Not because it is a modern marketing ploy, but because it is a significant property to point out to collectors.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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