What is a plated proof ?

COALPORTER

Are proof coins ever plated (electroplated) to restore eye appeal? I’ve noticed many auction descriptions given for US type Proof coins included the terms “plated” or “non-plated”. What is this referring to? I’ve also seen proof silver coins (trade and LS dollars) that are so clean and shiny that they look like chrome plated play money ( but they were in slabs).( I don’t mean the Ebay replicas either.)

adamlaneus

Not an expert but:

I believe "proof" refers to especially polished dies used to strike the coin.

Plating is used when the base metal of the coin is different than the surface. I've seen gold plated silver proofs, and silver plated bronze proofs. The plating doesn't create or augment the shine; it's there to change the color of the metal.
I think that it's this that you are referring to. There is a gold plated silver proof buffalo for example.

And then, i've seen coins that have been electroplated as a way to hide defects. But that turns them into jewelery, not into a better coins.

Hopefully, I will have put enough omissions and inaccuracies into this reply such that some of the really educated folks on this forum chime in with the weird minting processes they are aware of...

sinin1

welcome to the boards

plating lowers the value of coins

some TV guys sell gold plated and platinum plated crap

doesn't cost much to do and they sell at great mark-up


the most frequently seen plated are the 1942 pennys
usually original get corroded and look ugly - but plated not any better

bigmarty58

Robert.

ahooka454

Are they not the modern crap they sell on TV at 4 am? You know 7 layers of the good stuff.

DaveG

It'd probably help if you could give more context to your question - a link to an auction, for example, or at least details of the coin in question and a quote from the auction description.

Proof coins are struck from specially polished dies, so they might appear "chrome plated" - but they haven't been.

Sometimes, "plated" is used to indicate that a coin is pictured in an auction catalog or a reference book.

COALPORTER

I was looking at coin trade records on COINFACTS.COM :
see the descriptions to the right: some say "plated".

COIN FACTS TRADE DOLLAR 1883

QUOTE: "Sometimes, "plated" is used to indicate that a coin is pictured in an auction catalog or a reference book. "

I hope thats all it is !

DaveG

Yes - what you're seeing is what I said.

I'm not sure why CoinFacts sometimes uses "illustrated" and sometimes uses "plated," but it may refer to whether the coin is pictured near its auction description (frequently in black-and-white) or in the full-color pages (which is where they have the pictures of the "special" or very expensive coins).

A 19th century proof coin that was subsequently silver or "chrome" plated would be readily detectable by an expert.

19Lyds

<< <i>Are proof coins ever plated (electroplated) to restore eye appeal? >>

No. Proof dies can be plated to harden them but not the coins.

Modern proof coins are produced with a special manufacturing process which uses specially prepared blanks (polished to a mirror finish), specially prepared dies (acid etched or sand blasted to provide a satin finish to the high points and then polished to a mirror like finish on the low points) and higher tonnage coining presses which produce coins that you could literally use as a mirror. Each coin is struck at least twice to produce the highest relief and best quality possible.

Sometimes, proof dies vary slightly in their design composition because they can produce higher relief coinage.

19Lyds

Read your reply for more information and I think those trade dollars were indeed determined to be plated which is why none on the page you provided, were graded by either PCGS or NGC. The top TPG's will not grade a coin that has been plated.

But then...........maybe I'm all wet.