2 Points higher for Half the Price!

[physics-fan3.14]

The second coin in my prooflike typeset, and the one that really convinced me I should pursue a prooflike Typeset, was my Mercury dime. I picked it up at FUN in January for $350 - which at the time I thought was a great deal. I later found out it was a bit high - but I didn't care! The coin is fantastically mirrored, bright and prooflike. NGC graded it MS-65 FB PL

 

Well, the other day I was browsing Ebay for prooflikes, as I often do, and came across another 1941S Prooflike Mercury - graded a full 2 points higher! It is graded MS-67 FB PL, and the seller had a BIN of $199. I jumped on it immediately!!!

 

After researching it a bit more, I found the same coin had made two separate appearances in auctions, the first at Heritage ( http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=277&Lot_No=5829 ) and the second at Stacks, where the seller had purchased it ( http://www.stacks.com/Lot/ItemDetail/140285 ). In both cases, it sold for a large amount over what I paid.

 

There are 13 MS-67 FB PL's graded, and 3 in 68 FB PL - but the price jump to those is tremendous! Heritage shows a couple of them, all of which sold for over $2k. So I probably won't be buying one of those anytime soon. Anyways, I'll stop rambling and show you the coins now. The first is my 65 FB PL, photographed by Bob. The second is my new 67 FB PL:

 

[SkyMan]

Very attractive coins. You seem to have found a very nice niche with the PL coins. Best of luck in finding some more. BTW, in your research, given that there are cameo PR Mercs, have you ever seen a cameo PL Merc?

[michael]

looks really close to a proof

 

and with great eye appeal

[michael]

the 41-s is amazingly sexy as anyone who looks at it thinks it is proof and then turns it over and sees the s mintmark

 

on a proof coin???

 

way cool

[physics-fan3.14]

Very attractive coins. You seem to have found a very nice niche with the PL coins. Best of luck in finding some more. BTW, in your research, given that there are cameo PR Mercs, have you ever seen a cameo PL Merc?

 

Thanks Sy. Throughout the 20th century, there are basically three periods where prooflike coins were produced, and each period seems to share some common characteristics. There is the modern period, from about the mid 80's to present, where prooflike coins occur in just about every denominatio, almost every year. These are generally deeply mirrored, with absolutely no cameo at all. The second period is around 1968-1972. I don't own any of these yet, and haven't examined them too closely, but they are significantly less common than the modern ones.

 

The final period is the most interesting. This period lasted from the mid 1930's through the late 1940's, and were almost exclusively on San Francisco mint coins (in fact, my 1943D Walker is one of the very non-S mint PL's of this period) . All of these coins are characterized by extreme die polishing. I have not seen a cameo PL Merc, but some of the 1949S Franklin's exhibit light cameos. I believe fishfinder's example is one of them.

 

However, many of the 19th century PLs show strong cameo. I haven't had the opportunity to pursue too many of those yet.

[kryptonitecomics]

I think you are making a big mistake buying all of those inferrior branch mint proofs

[Conder101]

It's just me but I usually don't care too much for coins like this. Yes the PL flash is nice, but it also tends to make all of those heavy die polish lines way to visible. What I see is a flashy coin with raised lines all over it.