My Top 5 1936-1942 Proofs (All Time)
FlyingAl
Posts: 3,502 ✭✭✭✭✭
I really liked the top five threads that have been posted here, so I figured I'd do my own. It’s a really cool idea, but I wanted to take it a different direction-coins I do not own. More on that later 
. Since my main series is 1936-1942 proofs, it was the obvious choice.
A bit of backstory:
1936-1942 proofs are notoriously hard to find nice. Like, really, really hard to find nice. The best ones have either deep mirrors with contrast or excellent details with color. The mint decided to overpolish quite a few dies (almost all) due to collectors complaining in 1936 about the Satin proofs. As the years went on, this got a little better and the mint figured out how to get a full polish without ruining the detail, but CAM coins remained exceedingly uncommon as they were not intentionally produced and the mint made no effort to produce them. As a result, oftentimes a lot of collectors will spend years trying to find that one coin to fill one slot in a set or series (myself included) but when that one coin presents itself, it is quite the reward. Since collectors have to look through so many of these coins to find nice ones, those select few on Coinfacts or posted here really stand out and shine. Here are my top five I have seen in for 1936-1942 proofs. I own none of these, but I do wish I owned them all.
In my opinion, the best proofs 1936-42 have one or more of these qualities:
- Full detail
- Color
- Contrast
- Deep mirrors
Without further ado, here we go!
5.@Skyman's 1938 CAM half, I believe images are done by @robec.
I had to start off with a CAM Walker. They are exceptionally rare and very few exist due to the number of low points on the relief (flag, eagle's feathers, sun). Many had so much detail polished off they have these details entirely missing, with some proofs having less detail than the average circulation strike. This coin is the exact opposite, showing fully the design that was intended.
4.1942 CAM cent, I believe once or currently owned by @wondercoin:
This coin is a stunning example of a CAM Lincoln cent. It holds quite a bit more contrast that the average cameo and borders on deep cameo, with a touch of green color in the fields. Full detail and deep mirrors show clearly, it’s quite the gem.
3.@wondercoin’s 1942 quarter
I managed to find this one on CoinFacts, and I threw it into Cert verification to see if it had any recent sales. Lo and behold, it was listed in Wondercoin’s registry! It seems we both like the same type of coins for these proofs. This is one of those coins that I think you either absolutely love or hate. It is definitely special in its color, with a very color contrasted obverse and a nice even reverse. The stark whites on the obverse are amazing to my eye and keeps me coming back to look at it. It’s gorgeous to me.
2.1939 CAM dime.
It’s the lowest graded CAM on CoinFacts, but I like it a lot. It has the most contrast apparent with deep black mirrors and full glaring details, exactly what these proofs should look like. I chose a lower grade because I loved the contrast and it shows that grade isn’t everything for these coins or for a lot of series. Some coins just have that factor that speaks to us collectors, and this was one of them.
1.@NorCalJack's 1938 quarter
This coin was one of those that when I saw it posted on the forums I practically fell out of my chair. It is the holy grail of 1936-42 proof quarters, having all four qualities that make an exceptional proof. No CAM quarters from this era exist, but this coin is one of the closest to CAM out there. It is simply fantastic, and the images speak for themselves.
One last note: I chose coins I did not own on purpose. I’ve got a lot of life left so I always try to set goals for what I want in the future. This list would be the ideal group of coins for me to own, and I think that it’s important for me to set a good group of coins with qualities to look for in my own purchases. I hope you all enjoyed this and thank you to all of the forum members who inspired me without even knowing it!
Coin Photographer.
Comments
Thank you Flying Al.
I’ve owned that cent for as long as I can remember (decades) as I thought it was as close to a DCAM that I had ever seen on a pre-1943 proof cent. Even though it doesn’t fit into any existing registry set I am working on, it will be hard to let it go. It’s such a cool coin!
Wondercoin
I was going to ask whether you'd ever seen a CAM Washington....you answered my question. The 38 is a GREAT coin....actually they all are.
jom
Great post.
I have been fortunate to see Skyman's half dollar and NorCal Jack's quarter in hand with my own eyes. Both are fantastic coins.
Cameonut I recall has a 1938 Cameo cent that would look great with Skyman's half and NorCal Jack's quarter (has anyone seen frosted examples of a 1938 nickel and dime?).
Years ago at a Santa Clara show I saw a Capital holder with 1936 to 1964 proofs quarters. To my surprise the 1942 quarter had moderately frosted central devices. It was untoned and with mirrored fields and moderately frosted devices it really stood out.
My preferred 1936 - 1942 proofs are those with deeply mirrored fields, those with frosted devices and those that have eye appealing multi colored toning.
Lucky for me I picked up a toned 1941 proof set a few years ago. It is one of my favorite set of coins in my collection.
You have a lot more patience and are willing to pay much higher prices than I am willing to pay. The cameo coins are nice, but finding them with the contrast and marked as such takes forever. You also have pay very high prices for them.
My biggest beef with the pieces I have collected at moderate prices is with the haze that the celluloid sleeves, which the mint used to package these pieces, imparted on these coins. I don't mind a little haze on an original, never dipped piece, but heavy haze is a turn-off for me. Many of the pieces that have high slab grades and CAC stickers are covered with this heavy haze.
Another turn-off are the little marks the form in the fields because of the flaking chromium that was used to coat the dies. I used to think that these marks were a sign that the coin had been dipped, but Roger Burdette set me straight on that. These marks really impact the eye appeal of the coins.
As for the pieces that I like using my lower standards, this is one of my favorites, a 1936 half dollar. These pieces are scarce and hard to find nice. This one, which is PCGS graded PR-66 has a little haze which okay since it is one indicator that the coin was never dipped, but it also has good mirrors. I can't capture the beauty of this piece in a photo.
@BillJones I actually don’t own any of these as I would never be able to afford them, but they are all dream coins. I agree fully with you on the haze, I briefly mentioned this in a reply to you in a different thread. It’s all down to wether or not the haze appears attractive. The chromium plated dies often seem to have weaker details to me. I really like the half!
@SanctionII I was torn between @wondercoin’s cent and the 1942 @Cameonut has. I went for wondercoin’s example just for a little bit deeper contrast, they are both fantastic. I don’t remember Cameonut’s 1938 but I’m sure I’ve seen it from my time lurking here.
Coin Photographer.
I have been trying to assemble the full Proof sets from the 1936 to '42 era. I am down to 10 coins. The hardest to find are the "cheap coins" like the nickels and quarters. The values don't justify spending the money to certify them unless they are very high grade.
I also don't like to spend big bucks on Proof cents. The things are like snowballs in July. I would gladly buy R&B and even Brown examples, but they are not worth the slabbing fees. One of my 1936 cents is Brown, and I am quite happy with it. It's beats paying $3,600 for a coin that could grow a spot and only be fit for a gumball machine. I am missing three dates among the cents, 1937, '38 and '40.
The red ones are going for stupid money right now, and often have "fly specks." It doesn't seem to matter.
The big trouble with these coins is that it's hard to judge them from photographs. I usually have to see them in person.
There are multiple threads that have been posted on the US Coin Forums over the past 20 or so years on the topic of Cameo proof coins from 1936-1942. Some of those threads have photographs of many, many proof coins from that era that have frosted devices and mirrored fields, including some that have been graded by TPGs and given a Cameo designation.
Lots of eye candy in those threads.
Great coins in this thread! Thanks for posting them!
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
@FlyingAl a very enjoyable and informative read. I wish I had your smarts and focus when I was a YN. I’m glad you post here and I always am interested in your thoughts.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
@FlyingAl ...Thanks for another great thread. That 1938 WLH is incredible. That would have captured me if I saw it at a coin show.... Captured me and freed my money from my wallet and account....
Cheers, RickO
You have good taste in coins
Collector, occasional seller
The proof cent and dime are AMAZING. The Half doesn't have a full strike as the feather details on the reverse are missing. 1936 tends to have the best details for the proof Halves. The only Walkers with full 100% detail are the 2016 Gold Centennial Walkers.
RE: half feather details. As you know, sometimes photo do not catch all detail depending upon lighting and angle. I suspect the detail is there but hidden in shadow.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
@FlyingAl Great thread Buddy! Love all of those! You are becoming our go- to expert on the topic!
@SkyMan Your 1938 half leaves me just about speechless. I've seen proof ASE's that don't look that good! Holy Cow!
Re the 1938 half: there are multiple threads on the coin and the view in hand. I will fully attest that CAM proofs from this era are one of the hardest coins to photgraph, and as such you can never capture the full contrast. There are members who will say that the coin in hand is a DCAM and it should be resubmitted. I have no doubt that there are nearly full details on the wing, as shown in this other angle below.
Also, many CAMs from this era have some weakness in frost on the low points, which is allowed in that standards for CAM. It was very difficult for the workers to polish the dies individually without removing some detail from the low points, which results in the rarity of CAM coins. Low relief detail accounts for some of this as does over polish caused intentionally or accidentally.
Coin Photographer.
Skyman's 1938 proof half dollar is so amazing that I suspect that it does not really matter (to Skyman and to other collectors of 1936-1942 proof half dollars) whether a TPG (any TPG) opines that it is a Cameo, or a Deep Cameo, or an Ultra Cameo, or an Alpha Cameo, or a Mega Cameo, etc., etc.
The coin speaks for itself, whether raw or slabbed.
BTW, I also like that FlyingAl is posting of the forums and that he (or she?) is a YN that likes the 1936-1942 proof niche area of the hobby. Always nice to see new, younger collectors participate in the forums.
Here are a few more shots of Skyman's proof Walker. Hopefully they will show the feathers a little better. The top photo was taken in 2015 while the bottom two were taken at the same time as the one in this thread, 2008.
- Bob -
MPL's - Lincolns of Color
Central Valley Roosevelts
Finding 1938-42 coins in cameo is difficult. I have only kept up with the nickels.
Cameo nickels as of Jan 30, 2022
1938: 1
1939: 4 as Rev of 40
1940: 10
1941: 0
1942 T1: 2
1942 T2: 15 & 1 DCAM
1937 Buffalo: 16. This is the only year for buffalo cameos.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/917864/1938-42-cameo-proof-jefferson-nickels/p1
I’m sure numbers for the other denominations are pretty low also. The 1942 cent is very nice.
@FlyingAl @SanctionII @robec @Eldorado9 Sorry I didn't respond earlier, but I just got back from 3 weeks in Europe. Thank you very much for your kind comments on the 1938 Walker!
The other four proofs that you picked, FlyingAl, all look like Lovely coins to me.
With regard to the 1938 Walker, I feel very lucky to have been the custodian of it for 15+ years now. Because he is such a good photographer, Robec has taken many lovely images of the coin that show it's assorted characteristics. It is fun to flip through them at home every now and then. Here are the two I generally use to show the obverse and reverse.
U.S. Type Set
@FlyingAl , @SanctionII , thank you both for your kind words about the 1938 quarter. When I lived in Northern Cal., I wanted to meet up with @SkyMan to see his 38 half but it just did not happen. I was fortunate enough to meet Kevin (SanctionII) on several occasions and he has some great proof cameos himself. Obviously if you see any of his photos, he has a great eye for cameo's. I know @ModCrewman also has great cameo coins and we intend to get together to share our coins.
Here is the Trueview of the 1938 quarter. The whole obverse has frost on all of the devices. The reverse has frost on the head, chest and legs of the eagle. But it is as close to a cameo quarter I have seen from 1936 to 1942. The other aspect of the coin is it has all of the detail shown on the coin. On most obverses of WQ proof in this era, the ribbon is missing detail, but this coin has all of the ribbon. On the reverse, the tail feathers are the first to lose detail, but this coin has all of the feathers also. This coin is a very early strike, if not the first strike in 1938.
Here is my Washington Quarter Variety Registry Set
This is my Washington Quarter Proof Variety Registry Set
I have had the pleasure of meeting Skyman, NorCal Jack and Crazyhoundog multiple times over the years and enjoyed the hobby. The have gorgeous coins. I have communicated with Modcrewman for over a decade and have enjoyed seeing photos his coins.
Hobby fun, both in person and remote.
I guess you haven’t seen my 1939 jefferson 😉
Let’s see it!
Coin Photographer.
I believe the one I have is from the same set of dies.
Collector, occasional seller
@ChrisH821, Most definitely, and likely the same die state as well.
Coin Photographer.
Bill it's a good point on color of these cents. I would only buy a RD cent of 1936 in a new holder. Look at some available and you'll find the holders are mostly damaged due from handling and resale time after time again due to the fact that they cannot be reholdered as red. Very few '36 Cents are still RD yet dealers continue to sell them as such knowing full well they are no longer RD. This is a dirty little secret that will never be corrected so I live and learn.
This is the strongest obverse cameo designated coin I have seen (among the four designated coins I have seen or owned) and one that approaches UCAM. I’ve always thought the coin deserved a star for the CAM + obverse devices. Of course your coin was one of the first if not the only designated cameo Walking Liberty Half when it sold in 2004, and the services always seem to be toughest on the earliest examples as standards are finalized (for lack of a better word).
I have loved reading this thread! I dont have many early proof coins but I am working on Washington's loosely. Here is my current favorite in my collection.
I knew Mercanti was cheating!
