What does it mean when a coin is "proof"? I had some silver dollars I wanted to sell and advertised them. Someone responded by email and asked if they were proof coins. I always thought that meant special coins minted for collectors, but I'd like an authoritative definition. Does being proof make them more valuable? Is this encased silver dollar a proof?
Several variants of proof coins. Some are absolutely mint copies of those in circulation - sometimes in gold or silver, sometimes in copper or cupro-nickel like the circulated coin. They are to be preserved in a case, as in the image, and not to be touched with bare hands. Early proofs were the first coins made by that particular die and kept for the currency archives. Modern day proofs are produced mainly for collectors and their value is often significantly higher than the face value.
You will then have coins which are referred to as Piedfort, meaning a heavier or larger example than that in general circulation.
Maundy sets. Sample sets.
Different dies were more common in the 19th century. There are several different variations of the Victorian penny, for example. Some of the lower denomination coins from this period have almost miniscule letters between the date digits. Edwardian silver coins are highly sought after, as are some early 20th Irish coins. I find numismatics fascinating.
Worth reading this little passage on the 1933 penny
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_British_penny_%281901%E2%80%931970%29#History_of_the_1933_PennyI have heard people say to me countless times that their father had one and threw it away, or on hearing about the 1933, they spend an hour going through all their parents or grandparents coins in the hope of finding one. It aint gonna happen !
Two good free resource websites
http://numismatics.org/search/searchhttp://www.coinarchives.com/
