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collector, for many dates which were considered throwing dollars fairly common in uncirculated condition, such as the 1879-o and 1880-o morgan dollar, were disclosed to be extremely scarce or rare in gem ms 65 uncirculated grade and gem ms 65 prooflike! with these disclosures by a respected expert in the field, the morgan dollar market bloomed almost overnight. by the early 1980''s, it was the single largest area of collector interest in u.s. numismatics, simply because it was disclosed that in addition to the other benefits of 1. beauty, 2. quality, and 4. low price, many dates in the series also enjoyed a high degree of 3. rarity, in higher grade. the 1950-1970 cameo proof series is currently positioned at the same point the morgan dollar market found itself in the mid-1970''s. like the morgan dollar market at that time, the current cameo proof market has been enjoying increasing popularity among collectors with each passing year, despite the birth of published information on the subject. the fact is, high grade cameo examples of many of the rarer cameo dates are so rare that few dealers have ever seen such coins. the cameo proof series, like the morgan dollar series, has been crying for a comprehensive book opportunity to own the "ultimate". i recently sold dollars a 1954 ngc cameo pf 66 lincoln cent, ultra-heavily contrasted, to a client for $400. no other dollars series in u.s. numismatics today offer the collector so much quality, eye-appeal, and rarity, for so little money. if there is any doubt as to the rarity of a 1954 ultra-heavy cameo lincoln cent, go out and try to find another! attend the next local coin show. attend the next ana show, the next fun show (one of the two or three largest shows of the year). good luck! you will find other u.s. coins of far lower quality, with far less appeal, that are far more common, for the same amount of money! you won''t find that 1954 cameo cent!there are many other dates and denominations in the cameo proof series as undervalued as the 1954 cameo lincoln. the series is dollars loaded with "sleepers". the special mint set coinage of the 1965 to 1967 period are sleepers, as is the 1950 ultra-heavy cameo pf 65 franklin (yes, even at $6500 - it is one of the great rarities of twentieth century coinage), 1951 ultra-heavy cameo pf 65 franklin, 1952 ultra-heavy cameo pf 65 franklin the most popular single market in u.s. numismatics today is unquestionably the silver dollar market. yet, the nation. subsequent population reports emanating from pcgs will reveal how very scarce the majority of proof issues are in cameo. with the release of the cameo proof book, and with pcgs'' and ngc''s leap into this market, cameo dealers and collectors will now have accurate, hard data with the release of these services'' grading reports to back up what we long-time cameo dealers and collectors have known for years - that exceptional cameo examples of many dates are extremely rare, and are truly among the best values in u.s. numismatics today. most collectors and dealers are very familiar with bu franklins. the majority of uncirculated bu franklin half dollars on the market are extremely baggy, and/or possess very heavy, unattractive brown or gray toning. these are ugly coins. the franklin design is a work of art in its simplicity. the bust of franklin on the obverse, and the famous liberty bell on the reverse, are beautiful when their surfaces are clear and dollars unblemished! in addition, many franklins were issued by the mint in cardboard mint sets. the sulfur from these paper products often created some of the most beautifully toned coins in all of u.s. coinage! while rare, gem franklin halves
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