Uncirculated BU and proof Uk coins

rmuniak

I have just accumulated from over 50 lbs of world coins 430 different Uk coins. I am looking for an article or website that can explain the differences between ,in some cases , BU and proof coins. A prime example is the 1972 1/2 new penny. It was only made as a proof, but does not have a frosted face on it and looks like BU. I also have a 1973 and 78 1/2 penny that looks BU, but is it a proof? My 1980 proof 1/2 penny has a frosted face. Was the UK making proof coins without the frosting only before 1980?

JBK

I have a 1970 UK proof set and there is no frost on them. We commonly associate frosted details with proof coins but historically many or even most proof coins did not have them.

You would need to look at strike quality to determine proof. Also, if the coin has circulated at all or been mishandled then for common proof coins there is no extra value.

7Jaguars

Interestingly, proof coins including the predecimal milled series were not always frosted, and sometimes the quality of proof strikes lagged noticeably. These have to be seen on a coin by coin basis.

Interestingly, on more recent gold coins from the RM, the opposite is true - "BU" coins are struck to a technical proof standard with carefully selected blanks and MULTIPLE strikes with excellent detail; some even have very good cameo. However the RM chooses to call these BU and others struck even more times and usually with some to excellent cameo as proofs.

Confused yet? Well, it is, and it blurrs the distinction between BU and proof even further...

rmuniak

Could it be also that some of them were from mint sets