MAMA DON'T TAKE MY KODACHROME AWAY. . . Nice early toners with photos.
Private
Updated:
6/2/2026
Views: 427
COLOR TONED BUSINESS STRIKES AND RARE PROOF-LIKES.
Collectors have different tastes in what they like to see in a coin. Like some collectors, I enjoy a beautifully toned coin. What may be considered beautiful can be highly subjective and a matter of personal taste. Like they say, " Have fun with your coins. "
Kennedy collectors are increasingly becoming aware of the existence of some business strike Kennedy halfs with extraordinary reflective surfaces. I have become interested in the existance of proof-like business strike half dollars from 1964 to 1970. These coins will typically be assigned the designation PL after the grade; or in the case of just the obverse having proof-like surfaces, sometimes a STAR will be awarded. Although scarce & hard to find, I have been able to acquire a handful of proof-like specimans from this early era. These are business strike coins, not to be confused with the Special Mint Set (SMS) coins of 1965, 1966 & 1967. If some of the coins in the photos look like proofs instead of business strikes, it is because the coins came from the mint with a mirror-like surface, as opposed to the normal matte finish of a business strike coin. Between 1964 and 1970 the Mint produced just a few coins with proof-like surfaces. They are very rare and hard to find until the 1970 issue.
For some mysterious reason , the 1970 issue produced more PL half dollars than all the previous years combined from 1964 to 1969. Even so, the 1970 issue is considered scarce & desireable in PL (Proof-Like) condition. Look at the slot for the 1970-D coin & see if it doesn't appear to be a proof coin. The D mintmark gives it away as a business strike coin, although with nicely mirrored surfaces. Sometimes NGC will award a PL designation for a business strike with proof-like mirrored surface on BOTH SIDES of a coin. NGC will occasionally grant a *Star* for a business strike that has a proof-like surface only on one side of a coin, usually the obverse. It is a mystery as to how these PL coins came into existence, but experts in this field of study say they are not merely the first strikes of a fresh die.
NGC Coin Explorer speculates that the Mint must have received some used Special Mint Set dies or worn proof dies in the 1960's to create the scarce few PL coins that occasionally appear from that era. No explanation has ever been offered for the 10 or so DPL (Deep Mirror Proof-like) Kennedy Halfs that appeared in 1970. Pretty interesting stuff.
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MAMA DON'T TAKE MY KODACHROME AWAY. . . Nice early toners with photos.
By Old Virginia Boy
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