Modern Proof Coin Question

FilamCoins

I made my first 70 on a proof coin from 1975 and was wondering what's the oldest dated coin to receive a PR-70 designation? Just curious. Thanks!

50cCOMMEMGUY

That’s a very interesting question. 🤔

savitale

Flipping through the March/April Rare Coin Market Report, the earliest I saw was a 1960 Large Date Lincoln Cent, tied with a 1960 Roosevelt Dime, and a 1960 Washington Quarter

ricko

That is something I have never considered... though I do recall, back in the early days of grading, that many said there could be no 70's...no coin was perfect. Then they happened..... Cheers, RickO

cladking

@ricko said:
That is something I have never considered... though I do recall, back in the early days of grading, that many said there could be no 70's...no coin was perfect. Then they happened..... Cheers, RickO

I think of it as something like tossing a handful of coins into loose sand. Most of the coins end up at crazy angles or slightly askew. Of course you can't define "perfectly level" because every coin has aberrations in strike and "level" is a theoretical point (position) that doesn't really exist in the real world.

PR-70 is just defined as "perfect enough".

Some of those coins will have their axes pointing perfectly north, too.

ricko

@cladking ..... I agree.... "perfect enough" fits the bill....Magnification, angles, strike, die condition, metal flow....bringing them all together is quite a feat....and 50X magnification is ridiculous....Cheers, RickO