coin grading Coin grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a coin, one of the key factors in determining its collectible value. A coin's grade is generally determined by six criteria: strike, preservation, luster, color, attractiveness ...

, cameo is the amount of contrast between the relief (raised or recessed design) and field (background). Cameo is usually seen on

proof coinage Proof coinage refers to special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the die (manufacturing), dies (as in demonstrating that something is true) and for archival purposes. In modern times, proofs are often struck in grea ...

, with the relief featuring a frosted finish and the field being mirror-like. Not all proof coins have a cameo effect, however.

History

Cameos can be found on some of the earliest American proof coins, but have not been produced intentionally for the public until recently. The

US Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. The U.S. Mint is one of two U.S. age ...

, like many mints around the world, now specifically sells cameo coins, which could previously only be found randomly in mint proof sets.

Non-proof cameos

Though rare, general circulation (non-proof) strikes may exhibit cameo as a result of die polishing. These coins are often designated "PL" (Proof-Like) if the cameo effect is strong enough. Coins with highly mirrored fields may even be designated "DMPL" (Deep Mirror Proof-Like, sometimes shortened to "DPL" or Deep Proof-Like). These designations are found mostly on

Morgan Dollar The Morgan dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1878 to 1904, in 1921, and beginning again in 2021 as a collectible. It was the first standard silver dollar minted since the passage of the Coinage Act of 1873, which ended the f ...

s, and are more desirable than non-PL coins.

Reverse cameo

In 2006, the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

issued the first "reverse proof" coins. The coins, varieties of the

American Silver Eagle The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986, and portrays the Goddess of Liberty in a design by Adolph A. Weinman that was originally ...

and

American Gold Eagle The American Gold Eagle is an official gold bullion coin of the United States. Authorized under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, it was first released by the United States Mint in 1986. Because the term "eagle" also is the official United St ...

, feature reverse cameo finishes, where the relief is mirror-like and the field has a frosted appearance. Since then, the mint has produced numerous reverse proof coins for various occasions.

References

{{Coin-stub Coins