take a look at this... just the description says it all!!! 1939 PCGS PR66RD Lincoln 1C Proof Beautifuly Toned PR66 http://cgi.ebay.com/1939-PCGS-PR66R...yZ139804QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem my question is simple. Is it RED or is it TONED??? Kinda like trying to have it both ways, eh?
Mike, I believe it has to have at least 90% red to be graded RED - I guess toning does not matter as long as enough red is there. Nice proof. Ed
95% red is the actual number. I would say right off hand though that the seller took pics that would make the coin look more toned than it is.
It is often difficult to get accurate photos of proof Lincoln cents. For me, they nearly always come out much darker than they really are. This may be a very nice coin this seller put on eBay.
The 1939 Proof Lincolns had a mintage of 13,520. The 1939 Proofs were struck from one die pairing and are fully brilliant, as the dies were heavily polished. The extensive die polishing resulted in a loss of detail in later die states. Some late die states have a very thin second 9 in the date from the die polishing. With the later proofs from 1936 and on, there isn't as much problems with identification due to the brilliant surfaces and the fact that the proof dies were not used for circulation strikes. The coin does have strong, square rims, as proof strikes should. As for this coin, the pictures make it difficult to tell just how much toning the coin exhibits. The piece could have possibly turned in the holder after being graded. One can see the heavy die polish lines on the photos. Personally, I would pass on it as a 66 RD, due to the carbon spots on the reverse, likely from spittle.
