Coin Collection – Appreciating Proof Coins
Proof is a process for making coins specifically for sale to collectors. In modern usage, proof coins are those struck using specially prepared blanks, highly polished dies, multiple strikes, and extreme pressure. The object of the proofing process is to create a perfect coin, one with full details, mirrored fields, and no imperfections. Since 1858, the U.S. Mint has sold proof coins to the public at a premium over their face value, often in partial or complete sets of all coins of the year. The “modern” proof era began in 1936 (after a 20-year hiatus during which no proof coins were struck), and proof set collecting is a preferred method, especially for beginning collectors.
What we refer to in this section are the proof coins issued from the early 1800s to 1916. Most of the proofs from that time period are rare, with mintages ranging from just a handful to several hundred at most.
Proof versions of many of the coins we describe in Chapters 11, 12, and 13 exist, but keep in mind that proof coins are completely different animals from the coins made for regular circulation. They look different, they were made under different conditions and circumstances, and collectors approach them differently. Some dates, like the 1875 $3 gold piece, were made only as proofs.
Proof coins prior to 1858 are the rarest of the rare. Because they were created on order, to satisfy collector inquiries, experts have no way of knowing how many of each were made. However, the number of examples that have survived indicate that the original mintages must have been extremely low, indeed. From this period, you can find proof half cents, large cents, three-cent silvers, half dimes, dimes, quarter dollars, half dollars, and silver dollars. A few proof gold coins from this period are known, but they are extremely rare and valuable.
You can assemble a nice collection of proof coins from the 1858 to 1916 time period, including many coins that are quite rare yet affordable. A denomination set containing a small cent, two-cent piece, three-cent silver, three-cent nickel, half dime, dime, 20-cent piece, quarter dollar, half dollar, and silver dollar is relatively inexpensive, with only the 20-cent piece and silver dollar costing in excess of $3,000 each. You can expand the set even further by including some of the different design types that were made during this period. As with the pre-1858 proofs, gold proof coins remain extremely scarce and expensive.
The key to collecting proof coins is to find coins that are free of problems and that have never been cleaned. Some early collectors and curators had the nasty habit of dusting their coins from time to time, which left small, hairline scratches on the surfaces. Because proof coins are supposed to represent perfection, this just won’t do. However, some proof coins are so rare that you simply have to take them as they come.
Some proof coins, particularly the copper-nickel and silver coins of the 1880s, are hard to tell apart from the coins made for general circulation. Show any potential purchases to a competent expert and stick with certified coins.
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My Coin/Currency Collection Pt. 6 (Proof Sets) 720p HD
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Pyrex 6021224 Storage 10-Piece Set, Clear with Blue Lids $14.99 Transporting foods for lunches and picnics and storing leftovers for reheating is a cinch with the Pyrex Storage Plus set. Included in this set are two 2-cup rounds, one 3-cup rectangular, one 4-cup round, and one 6-cup rectangular storage piece, all glass, with plastic covers. Pyrex glass doesn’t warp, stain, or absorb odors, and can be used in the oven, microwave, oven, refrigerator, or freezer … |
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Cuisinart CBT-1000 PowerEdge 1000-Watt Die-Cast Blender with 64-Ounce Jar $189.99 Equipped with a 1000%2Dwatt motor%2C this durably built countertop blender delivers the power needed for everything from blending up fruit smoothies before work or protein shakes after a work out to pureeing soup for dinner or mixing up frozen beverages when gathering with friends on a Friday night%2E The machine%27s Power6 TurboEdge design creates a strong vortex for thoroughly blended ingredient… |
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Rachael Ray Hard Anodized Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set, Orange $159.95 Like her dynamic cutlery, Rachael Ray cookware first enchants the eye before you even realize how well you can cook with it. The handsome charcoal-gray, hard-anodized pots and pans feature shiny stainless-steel handles wrapped with neon-orange silicone grips that practically glow with the kinetic energy of this celebrity chef. It’ll come as no surprise that orange is Ray’s favorite color. A smile … |
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Fantasia (Deluxe Collector’s Edition) $22.50 … |
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Love Deluxe $4.87 9 remastered tracks…. |
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Cher – The Farewell Tour $7.70 If her 2002 tour really was her last–and after being “an evil frickin’ diva for 40 frickin’ years,” as she puts it, she just might mean it–Cher has definitely left us something to remember her by. In the course of this 92-minute concert (plus loads of extra features), she wears enough different costumes and wigs to outfit a small (if rather odd) town, surrounds herself with dancers and acrobats … |
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Mary J. Blige My Life LIMITED EDITION CD Includes 3 Bonus Songs and 2 Exclusive Songs $16.46 Special version containing the three bonus tracks from the deluxe edition plus two additional exclusive songs: “You Want This” & “This Love Is For You.” Seventeen years after Mary J. Blige’s breakthrough LP, My Life, the wiser R&B queen is back with a sequel: My Life II…The Journey Continues (Act 1). The album’s critically acclaimed first single, “25/8″ released on August 25th entered the R&B ma… |
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Grindhouse (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray] $17.15 Loud, fast, and proudly out of control, Grindhouse is a tribute to the low-budget exploitation movies that lurked at drive-ins and inner city theaters in the ’60s and early ’70s. Writers/directors Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) cooked up this three-hour double feature as a way to pay homage to these films, and the end result manages to evoke the down-and-dirty vibe o… |
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Ancient Aliens $8.00 Did life on Earth originate in outer space? Are monuments like Stonehenge and Easter Island proof that extraterrestrials have visited our planet? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this enthralling History Channel special that examines what, if any, impact aliens have had in helping to shape human civilization. 94 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo…. |
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Proof of Life $4.29 When someone in Proof of Life says “Don’t leave me hanging,” you can bet they’re going to be left hanging. That’s what happens when Alice Bowman (Meg Ryan) learns that her husband Peter (David Morse) has been kidnapped by rebels in the (fictional) Latin American country of Tecala. He’s building a corporate-funded dam there, and that makes him a fine target for kidnap by the rebels, who barter with… |
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