1971 S Proof Nickel

Hi Kurt,
I'm confused, I have been searching rolls for over 20 years or were you thinking of someone else.
Bruce.

First thing I wonder about is how did a proof coin get into circulation. Many possibilities though. inherited coin collection that went right to a bank, home robbery and crooks just spent the coins, someone just got tired of collecting and spent all the coins. Regardless, it's yours now so great find.

Coin roll hunting can get addictive. It has hit me pretty hard over the past few weeks. I have made a few good finds. Never had much luck with quarters or dimes though. BenVA

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How do you know it's proof and not just a fantastic regular strike? I have found some wheaties that look "perfect" in rolls, but never thought of them as proof, just uncirculated or, after closer look, polished.

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It is impossible for it to be a "fantastic regular strike"- only proof S nickels were made that year, no business strikes.

Most proof get into circulation because they are culls. There are companies that bust these sets up by the thousands to assemble rolls but coins with little problems are unsaleable. Many people who buy proofs expect them to be perfect and will return coins or ets that have coins with minor problems so it's much easier to simply not use these coins. The rolls are sold to wholesalers who build up the date/ denomination sets that you see retail in magazines or the TV shows.

The culls are simply redeemed at the bank and they get mixed in with regular coinage at the counting houses. These rarely circulate very long because people grab them out but back in 1996 I did find a '68-S quarter worn down to VG.

Proof coins are made by dies that have been basined and polished. Basining flattens the fields of the die so that the coin will have mirrorlike fields. Frequently the high points will be frosted which is sandblasting and a chrome coating applied to the die. The proof coins are struck twice. This will cause all the detail to appear and will normally result in the rims on both sides of the coin to be square in cross section. Modern proofs are supposed to have an "s" mintmark and almost always do.

There are a few business trikes which can be very similar in appearance to proofs. Most of these originate in mint sets which have coins struck at even higher pressure than the proofs (but struck only once). But even coins struck for circulation can be quite PL (especially cents).

It's not always possible to tell from seeing the coin but it's rare that you can't tell after you have some experience with them.

The real problem is trying to tell business strike from SMS. ;)

That answers that nicely.but I was asking generaly as well, since others have stated they have never found one. How would you know a proof that had been circulated? I have several proofs I want to take out of the case, or cellophane and drop in airtites, but if I do, how can someone tell proof from MS

Most proofs are easily spotted by the mirror look of the background. However, if circulated enough the entire thing is just a circulated coin and will show wear, scratches, nicks, dents just like all coins. The original mirror look will vanish. Once you take the proof out of the original Mint package it is always suseptable of being touched, scratched, etc. and that is why you see so many people at coin shows with magnifying glasses. I would say Loupe but never sure how to spell it. Mostly during the last 30 years or so all proofs are S mint coins and no other coin has the S mint mark except the proofs. Again, a few mint errors of proofs are none with out the S lately.

Well, I don't like to brag, but- ok I do like to brag! Never found a Proof nickel, but I have found a Proof Roosevelt dime, Kennedy half, Ohio and Georgia quarters, and a SBA dollar! Of course, I see a lot more coin than most people, but I'm not on the teller line much anymore so I don't get to go through the coin as much as I used to. They all stuck out like a sore thumb- even the half which is pretty beat up. The sharpness of the strike is what caught my eye. That is an awesome find- my Proofs were some of my most exciting finds!

Rachel