Cameo Proof Hunters - Can you offer any input for a new competitor?

ModCrewman

I'd say I've been a bit inspired by the posts about searching out cameo proofs from the 50's-60's. The past few weeks I've made up my mind that I'm going to start putting together some sets of cameo proofs, to the extent my budget allows, from this period. If you have some time for a CPA, I'd like to share a few of my observations in the earliest steps of this quest.

How do you decide which sets you'll buy? I have found several sets with a single cameo proof coin, but haven't been comfortable with whether that would be a good "value" buy if just priced as a standard set. This weekend, I bought a 1958 set that has a nice cameo Quarter (hairlines are on the Capital Plastics holder), but no other cameos:




I also bought a 1956 proof set that has what I'm certain is a deep cameo quarter, that I haven't photo'd yet as it's still in the flat pack. I also picked up another proof set without any cameo's but some great color on a few of the coins. I was able to pick up all 3 sets for $30 each which seemed fair.

Are you holding onto all of the sets, or breaking them out and selling the singles? Should I have "regrets" or "guilt" about breaking up sets in original packaging? Also I've seen discussions of the one sided cameos...also a very common occurence. I found one set that I'd say 3 of the 5 were strong 1-sided Deep cameo's...very disappointing, that they weren't 2 sided; I didn't buy that set, should I have?

Thanks for any thoughts you can share.

raycyca

I've been very lucky in the 1964 series, the ONLY set I have really bought. Had others, but sold them because they had "hairy heads". I've got Lincolns thru 64 Kennedys in 64-68 Can, including the accent hair "hairy head" Just my SMALL input. Good luck. Ray

MadMarty

It depends on the coins, I have passed on plenty of proof sets with Cameo Dimes, they just don't sell and unless you hit the 69DC are not worth slabbing. There are execptions to every rule! Any coin before 1960 in DCAM is wroth picking.

Problem with Capital holders is the coin usually have hairlines on them and it's really though to tell until you remove them from the plastic. I guess it depends on what you want to do with them, assemble DCAM proof sets or turn and burn.

renomedphys

As long as you stay out of the CAM IHC market, I'm sure we'll get along just fine

SanctionII

Welcome to the club.

If the Cameo bug bites you, the infection lasts a lifetime. There is no cure.

I have been hunting for thiese coins, raw in OGP and aftermarket holders as sets and singles, for about 10 years now. My goal has been to assemble a set of these coins from 1950-1970 in CAM or DCAM.

Along the way my eye has gotten better. Coins I bought 10 years ago with great enthusiasm would not be purchased today. I have a complete set of the required 105 coins [without varieties] all of which have frosted devices and mirrored fields. Many however would not receive a CAM designation from a TPG if submitted for grading. For example, my best 1958 quarter has great mirrors and heavy obverse frost. The reverse frost is there, but light. Your pictured 1958 quarter makes me drool as I have never, ever, found one that nice (it would be a great upgrade coin for my set, want to sell it?).

I also pass on many sets that have cameo coins, particularly the cameo minors from the 1960's. DCAM coins are very, very hard to find and I never pass up a chance to cherrypick one of those. I have learned to stay away from one sided cameos unless it is a monster and is prior to 1960.

I have lots of extras and one day will sell them. Most I will sell raw, though for some of the harder to find and more valuable coins I will probably have them graded. For the best coins that comprise the 105 coins set, they are always subject to being replaced with coins I find that are upgrades. Maybe when my eyesight goes, I will have the best 105 coins graded and sold.

Sure is fun to find them, particularly raw and on the cheap.

Have fun with your Cameo hunts.

P.S. There are lots of threads on this topic you can search for. Lots of great pictures also. The number of threads on this topic were greater years ago. Now they are uncommon. However, collector tastes fluctuate and maybe the interest in this topic will come back. You may even rekindle same with your own posts on the topic, particularly if you continue to find and post pictures like the 1958 quarter.

Cameonut

Welcome to the madness. And good luck in finding the elusive cameos we doggedly hunt for.

I have been collecting cameos for the better part of 20 years now. It has become harder and harder to put a nice set together, but by no means impossible. One dilemma you have to wrestle with is whether you prefer deep cameo contrast or higher technical grades with less contrast. Personally, I prefer the deep cameos with maximum contrast over higher graded cameos with less contrast. Of course, it would be nice to have both, but some dates are impossible to find in high grade deep cameo. So I prefer a 67 deep cameo over a 68 cameo because of the superior contrast.

You will find that many dates are easy to find. My advice is to start with the tougher dates and spend your money there first - the easy ones will still be available later. The tougher dates typically do not increase in population much and they do not often surface for sale. So pick them up when you can - you never know when another one will surface. If you need help figuring out which are the tough dates, look at the pop report or buy Rick Tomaska's book on Cameo Proofs. Better yet, buy the book anyway as it is the best cameo book out there at this time.

Look at lots of raw proof sets. It appears that you are already doing that and have been somewhat successful in finding some nice coins. While looking at sets, I also look for proof varieties. Some of the varieties are scarce and worth real money. As cameos have become harder to score from original sets, it is still possible to find nice varieties that others simply overlook because they don't know any better. The varieties that garner the most money tend to be listed in the Cherrypickers Guide.

And most of all - have some fun collecting what you enjoy.

keets

i would suggest you cultivate some good will with dealers at their shops or at shows, they may turn out to be a pipeline for you since these sets often sell at bid and can be resold to the same dealers at bid minus 10%. what i typically do is buy sets with the best looking coins and then re-evaluate them when i get home under a standard lighting set-up(shops and shows tend to have terrible lighting). since i'm at heart a collector, i pull out the best coins and hold onto the rest until i have a complete set of "rejects" which i then sell back. these are a commodity for most dealers and if you're a regular and they're making money off you they don't seem to mind. remember, Loose Lips Sink Ships, so keep your endeavor to yourself until you know the dealers well.

using my method the 1958 Quarter ends up costing only a few dollars. after a while you'll get pretty good at discerning what is/what is not a choice coin through the Mint packaging and the scratched up after market holders, then your purchases and mistakes will start to drop. i've gone months without finding a nice coin but have also stumbled onto groups of same-year-sets with choice coins. that is part the intrigue that makes this era fun to collect. you should also make notes and keep track of any Mint packaging oddities you find while remembering that there are quite a few major Varieties that you should be looking for, so get a CPG.

BTW, my favorite years are 1950-1953 and 1956-1957.

Russ

<< <i>Can you offer any input for a new competitor? >>



Get there before Marty.

Russ, NCNE

ModCrewman

Good advice from all of you. Thanks.

Put in an order for Tomaska's book yesterday; hopefully it is indeed as gently used as indicated in the listing. Still need to make the jump into the CPG's.

I didn't realize...or bother to do the math...that there are 105 coins in the series...that certainly leaves quite a bit of searching still to be done. Perhaps I'll focus first on the 50's and the non-copper coins to keep the project manageable.

ModCrewman

Here are a couple more that I picked up this weekend, How am I doing?

SanctionII

The 1956 Quarter is fantastic. I have never found a raw 1956 quarter that has two sided frost like yours. At best I have found a 1956 quarter with one sided DCAM frost that is brilliant on the other side, or two sided frost that is moderate at best. Yours is a moose.

The 1962 quarter looks to have moderate frost. The 1968 half looks very nice, but it is a fairly common date that can be found in CAM or even DCAM without to much difficulty.

ModCrewman

<< <i>The 1956 Quarter is fantastic. I have never found a raw 1956 quarter that has two sided frost like yours. At best I have found a 1956 quarter with one sided DCAM frost that is brilliant on the other side, or two sided frost that is moderate at best. Yours is a moose. >>

Careful with comments like that...you'll only encourage me. I knew the 62 wasn't anything spectacular, but it does have some frost, though I'd guess not enough to get the designation if graded.