Planchet or Blank Preparation...

Greetings Collectors,

I have taken a break and gone out of town to visit my father for this week and while I would have taken some more pics on this break, as I brought all of my coins with me that were not in the bank vault, along with my camera and tripod. I left the battery charger and USB cable at home. Just another example of my excelent memory and thought process. So anyway I did bring some numismatic study material and the last couple of issues of "Numismatic News" and thought this a good time to share "part three" of a five part series on proof coinage from a time when it was done "by the seat of their pants".

The practices of preparing the proof planchets remained, for the most part, unchanged during this 20 year period of 1950-1970. During this time the planchets for both proof and "business strikes" were struck from strips of that particular coins metal, in lengths six feet long by several inches wide. A process called "upsetting" was done to contour the rims prior to the striking process.

The next step was the "annealing" process which was the application of heat which further softened the metal and made the refinement process easier. The planchets or blanks were prepared the same way for proof and business strikes as in they were fed into a large diameter tube called a retort. This large tube called a retort ran horizontally through an oven a little over twenty feet long.There were "corkscrew" configured grooves, spiraling forward, along the inside of this tube/retort. When a planchet was inserted into the retort, it would lay flat inside a groove and move forward as the tube/retort slowly rotated. This process would take approx. one hour with the temperature inside would vary, 1100 degrees for silver and the harder metals such as nickel would require about 1600 degrees.

It was at this time that the planchets were ready for striking. An additional step was needed for proof planchets in that they were put into a stainless steel barrel and spun like a "clothes drier" with small stainless steel "BB's" that measured 3/16". This "spinning" would last for twenty four hours. The combination of the two highly polished surfaces, ie the burnished surfaces of the proof planchet and the fields of the proof die is what gave the proof coin its mirrored surfaces.

If the planchets were properly prepared and no shortcuts were made (and unfortunately shortcuts were made quite often) cameo proofs with deep mirrors and heavily frosted devices would be the end result. The reason for the "low pops" of ultra/deep cameo proofs from this era today were caused by a number of processes that were "skimped" apon. I mentioned in part two that the "acid bath" was more than likely shortened, to prolong the life of the dies and this coupled with an annealing process of a shorter duration and/or at a lower temperature, thus making the planchets much "harder" and more "brittle". After only a few planchets worth of strikes (keep in mind the proofs were struck "twice") this was hell on, and would quickly damage the delicate, acid dipped cameo effect of the new proof die.

According to experts,the biggest recurring problem were "striations" on the planchets/blanks. These "striations" look alot like "hairlines" on a proof coin. The way to tell the differance between Striations and hairlines" are, striations tend to run to the very edge of the rim or device of the coin, a tell tale sign they were already on the planchet before the coin was struck. Hairlines are usually caused from cleaning or mishandling and are usually located in the central portions of the mirrored fields.

The one major differance in the planchet prep process, occured in the mid 70's and that was when during the "annealing" process, the planchets were placed on a stainless steel belt and secured. This kept them (the planchets) held in place, unlike before when they were slid through the retort tube, unsecured, with them picking up the striations all along the way.

Modern processes have vastly improved the quality of our proof coinage today, but it was not so long ago that the "human factor" and the fact this type of coinage was done by "craftsmen" which as we all know today, and was also true then, there are "good" "craftsmen" and there are ones that are not so good. Isn't it funny how, no matter how things change, some things remain the same. I am very glad for the vast improvment of our proof coinage but I am also very glad about the "rarity" of the high grade proof coinage of old.

I do believe that every coin collector would do his or herself justice to try and pick up a Franklin proof half in the highest grade of cameo or ultra/deep cameo that he or she can possibly afford. If not for the investment, then pick one up for the shear beauty of it. I think you will be glad you did and you may also have a greater degree of apreciation & understanding of how that, which you are holding, finally came to be.

Two final facts concerning Franklin half proof coinage are: For most years halves struck with ultra/deep cameo designations account for only 0.1% of the total strikings. And the same coins that would be called just "regular cameo's are only the first 1% of the coins struck off a new proof die.

I trust all of you are having fun with your coins, I know I am. Happy Collecting! WKF

P.S. No pic this post...