How can you tell if a coin is a Proof ?

bass

I have been collecting morgan dollars for about 1 year, and I still cannot tell which one is proof and which one is not.

Any help ?

Thx sam

darktone

Sharpness of detail for one, mirrord fields, wire rim, nice denticles- but these are just generic things to look for on proofs in general- I am by no means an expert on morgan proofs(although I have recently learned much about the 1895 in particular). Things such as reed count and die varieties should be helpful as well along with date type and placement. Hopefully one of the experts will give you some more pointers. mike

CarlWohlforth

In general proofs have good strikes. So the lettering has square edges. The stars and denticles on the obverse also have square edges. Since proofs were made for collectors most have no scuffs or bag marks at all. They do get hairlines but if you see a scuffed coin it is most often a business strike.





edited to add:

If you compare the coin above with the coin mentioned in Wolf's thread you can see that the eBay coin has rounded edges to the lettering and denticles. There are bag marks on that coin. The strike in weak most noticeably in Liberty's hair. I would bet the 1896 isn't proof.

coinguy1

Sam, your best bet is to find an expert collector or dealer who can show you the differences, in person. Once you have been shown, most (though certainly not all) Proofs will be obvious.