Difference Between Proof-Like And Business Strike? Help A Novice!

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Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 591
Rustoleum New Member Canada 47 Posts	Posted 03/23/2025 8:38 pm In my coin roll hunting I will occasionally come across a proof-like coin, and at times a whole roll of them in a collectors dump. They are obvious when I see one, with their mirror finish and a rim/edge that feels sharp instead of smooth. I've tried to find info on how these coins are made, and what distinguishes them from a business strike coin. I've read that the only difference is that they are the first coins struck with a highly polished die. But the RCM first strike coins that I buy don't look anything like a proof-like coin, so I'm confused. I guess my question is, what distinguishes a proof-like coin from a business strike? Do they use a different dies? Do they strike it differently? Thanks in advance for the help. Report this Post to the Staff

tripoli Pillar of the Community Canada 861 Posts	Posted 03/23/2025 9:09 pm You can infer from this.....polished dies, higher pressures.... Proof and Specimen, by themselves, are not grading terms, they describe a coin's method of manufacture. Each uses the a 70-point scale to describe the quality of a coin's surface. Proof coins are struck from specially prepared and polished dies and planchets. The dies for traditional proof coinage are prepared such that the coin's primary devices (the coin's raised design elements) have a frosty or satiny appearance while the fields are given a mirror-like appearance. The high level of contrast between the two is generally described as a "Cameo effect" with different levels of contrast/cameo possible (the higher/deeper the cameo, the higher the desirability for many collectors and thus a higher price is often asked). Proof coins are generally struck two or more times to help create very sharp details on the coin; circulation coins are struck once. While Specimen coins are also generally struck from specially prepared dies, they are not polished the same way as proof dies. A specimen coin has either an overall brilliant finish or brilliant devices with a matte background. The RCM has changed the appearance of its Specimen coins over the years, so one "catch all" definition is impossible. Specimen finish coins are generally struck twice to create sharper details vs. circulation coins. Side-by-side, it should be able to easily tell the difference between the two finishes. Both can be very attractive, but a proof piece has the added bonus of the cameo Report this Post to the Staff
JimmyD Bedrock of the Community Canada 20173 Posts	Posted 03/24/2025 11:47 am Tripoli Very informative about Proof and Specimen coins but the OP's question was about the difference between Proof-like and Business strikes, big difference. I will try to answer the OP's question but there are some grey areas. Proof Like is not a mint term but a term that was given to the mint sets from 1954-1967 by collectors. (The mint just referred to them as uncirculated) The Proof-like coins were struck from regular dies that had been polished and extra care was taken during the striking with the machine speed being lowered to obtain a better quality. These coins were handled individually so they would not come in contact with other coins. These coins also were not intended for circulation. The first official Proof sets were issued in 1981. Edited by JimmyD 03/24/2025 12:02 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Sharks Pillar of the Community Canada 1564 Posts	Posted 03/24/2025 12:47 pm From Calgary Coin (www.calgarycoin.com) Quote: In 2011 the mint stopped striking intentionally superior quality coins for the standard Proof-like sets, rather using normal MS coins that bypassed some of the mint handling processes rolled coins go through. There no way to differentiate a coin from a set from a coin from a bank roll, .... As mentioned by JimmyD, the RCM has always called them uncirculated sets, never proof-like sets. Edited by Sharks 03/24/2025 12:55 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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