How Does A Proof Coin Get To Be Less Than 69/70?

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,670
Alpha2814 Pillar of the Community United States 2023 Posts	Posted 09/21/2018 1:11 pm In another thread, someone mentioned proof coins experiencing wear due to improper storage. When I think of "wear", I think of damage caused by handling, either in circulation or from other coins in the production/bagging process. But proof coins generally don't get handled the same way. Most proof coins from recent years ("recent" here being the last 25 years, give or take) seem to be graded 69 or 70, while coins older than that are less than that. My set of Franklin proofs are all 66 (and not cameo). Thinking mainly of these older coins, why are so many of them not graded higher? Were they not as well struck so they don't have full details? Is it a storage thing, although even my 66s don't have any visible spots or haze? And why are some of them (deep) cameo while others are not? Modern coins have spoiled us with such high contrast cameo and near-perfect strikes. The difference in grades has been in front of me the whole time but I never seriously wondered why before this morning. Report this Post to the Staff

John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 09/21/2018 1:16 pm From what I have heard, it is the way the dies were prepared and the way the mint packaged and mailed the coins. Before 1978 cameos were few and far between. Each die set only struck a few deep cameos. John1 Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 09/21/2018 1:46 pm I believe at grades above 65, things like centering and strike evenness come into play. Nowadays we have computers helping do all the hard work, so more coins are reaching the level of technical near-perfection. Report this Post to the Staff
kanga Pillar of the Community United States 5825 Posts	Posted 09/21/2018 4:14 pm Quote: Thinking mainly of these older coins, why are so many of them not graded higher? Were they not as well struck so they don't have full details? Is it a storage thing, although even my 66s don't have any visible spots or haze? It's been a long time since I dealt with older proof coins in original packaging. And I think that's the key here. I don't recall proof coins from the Franklin era coming from the Mint in hard holder. The softer, pliable cellophane(?)/polyvinyl(?) holders made it very easy for the coins to acquire unintentional handling marks. Hence the lower grades. Edited by kanga 09/21/2018 4:17 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Crazyb0 Rest in Peace 10197 Posts	Posted 09/21/2018 4:23 pm Packaging. Pre 1966, all coin sets were mint cello for proof coins. Some were even mailed in the mint envelope to the purchaser. Any pressure upon the coin in cello will cause pressure wear on high points. If a cello was pierced which happened a lot, or coin not handled correctly upon insertion(fingerprints). 1966 started the 5/6 coin plastic packaging which helped eliminate high point wear and many handling errors. Report this Post to the Staff
Alpha2814 Pillar of the Community United States 2023 Posts	Posted 09/21/2018 7:28 pm That all makes sense. Thank you! Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 09/23/2018 10:19 am And don't forget that a lot of coins spent years not even in the mint packaging before slabbing came along. 2X2's capsules, albums with plastic slides, and being moved from one of these holders to another. Then someone sends it in for grading and al it's little flaws are discovered. Also in those older years the proofs WERE handled and packaged by hand, Chances for finger prints, being slid along a suerface etc. And the packaging room were not "clean rooms" so dust and contaminants could get on the coins and later cause spotting. Report this Post to the Staff
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