Explain the difference between a Proof and Business Strike coin...

MGLICKER

....to a new collector.

May not be as simple as first thought.

braddick

One is generally shinier than the other.

Baley

Proof coins come in years sets in a plastic package, you get it from your grandma, you put it in a drawer until you go to college, then when you go to sell it at a pawn shop, it isn't worth anything.

Business strike coins are minted for commerce, you get them in change when you spend bills. You take them home and dump them in a coffee can, when full, take to coinstar to get 93%

lasvegasteddy

a coin made from a special die using a specially prepared planchet
a coin that shows off the mints pride in workmanship

a presentation coin

but baley's got the common understanding down
that set grandma bought ya that when you take it down to the pawnshop they tell ya it isn't worth anything and to just spend them

MGLICKER

<< <i>Proof coins come in years sets in a plastic package, you get it from your grandma, you put it in a drawer until you go to college, then when you go to sell it at a pawn shop, it isn't worth anything. >>






I think you nailed it!

ms70

Baley nailed it, but.....

A coin prepared from specially prepared planchets that are struck by highly polished dies, which result in fields with mirrored finishes and sometimes matte devices. They are
handled & packaged with care for their preservation and made for presentation, gifts, and collecting.

crazyhounddog

A proof coin is struck more than once and with more presser than a business strike.

Brol

So 1895 Proof Morgan Dollar was minted only for collectors or also for circulation?

Zoins

Business strikes are made for spending.

Proof strikes are made for collectors.

Sonorandesertrat

The methods of manufacture are different. Business strike coins were made with generally less care than proofs, which were made for presentation purposes or for sale/trade to coin collectors. Proofs were (and still are) made using higher striking pressure (and more than 1 strike), specially prepared planchets, and pieces made were removed if flaws were spotted by mint personnel. Dies for proofs were more carefully prepared, and retired from use after fewer strikes too. Hence, flaws commonly seen in circulating coins, like laminations, strike-throughs, clash marks, marks due to die cracks, incomplete design due to 'grease,' etc., are generally rarer where proof coins are concerned. Since proof coins were not made for circulation, what affects their grades is generally the result of handling/cleaning by collectors. In mint state, the grade of a proof coin is most often determined by hairlines (due to wiping with a cloth) rather than lack of luster (not generally seen on nice proofs) or deeper marks. Generally collectible U. S. proofs did not appear until the late 1850's.