A proof is a trial printing from an original die or plate of the actual issued stamp.
An essay is a proposed design and will usually have some slight difference from the issued design.
Edited to add on; didn't read far enough to see you had 2 questions. I can only guess how these got into public hands. Maybe someone knew someone in the printing/approval areas or maybe they were sold. The US mint sells dies although they have a big X scraped into them.
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An essay is a proposed design and will usually have some slight difference from the issued design.
Edited to add on; didn't read far enough to see you had 2 questions. I can only guess how these got into public hands. Maybe someone knew someone in the printing/approval areas or maybe they were sold. The US mint sells dies although they have a big X scraped into them.