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involved "acid-dipping" the dies before they were polished. The solution used during the 1950 to 1970 period, a bath consisting of 5% nitric acid/95% water, was used to create an acid-etched half dollars appearance on the die. when the die was subsequently polished and buffed, the recessed portions of the die, the devices, retained their acid-etched cameo. the very first strikes off one of these new dies would possess a gorgeous, intense cameo effect very similar in quality to the proofs minted today. the raised portions of these early strikes, the devices (on the franklin half, these would be the bust of franklin, the lettering, and date on the obverse, and the liberty bell, eagle, and lettering on the reverse) would display a snow-white cameo effect that would stand in stark contrast to the deep-mirrored fields surrounding them. the flawless, jewel-like quality of the best of these cameos almost look like works of art rather than mere coins! indeed, to most collectors, these coins are works of art! the frosted devices of these early cameo dies were quite delicate - one could easily scratch a bit of frost from dollars the die with one''s fingernail, and were the first part of the die to wear. each quality jfk half dollars u.s. proofs and mint state franklins in our inventory. the best thing about the exceptional proofs and mint state franklins we offer, is that we can sell them by simply telling the truth about their quality and rarity. we don''t need to give you a sales pitch. and we won''t. in numismatics, as in real estate, jewelry, or any other form of collectible, "quality" is a primary consideration in one''s buying decision. doing one''s best, being the best, owning the best.....is a basic human desire. certainly, without that instinct or drive, the human race would not have progressed as it has over the past 10,000 years. and so it is the desire of most every collector to own the highest quality issue available of whatever it is they are collecting. unfortunately, in most fields of collector interest, the very finest quality specimens are priced beyond the pocketbook of the average collector at today''s levels. there is only so much "beach-front" property available in real dollars estate, and there are only so many coins in numismatics that offer the collector the opportunity of owning the best. however, while the most desirable beach-front property in the u.s. is beyond the pocketbook of the average collector, for many dates which were considered 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 barber half dollars 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, dollars the current cameo proof market has been enjoying increasing popularity among collectors with each passing year, despite the birth of published information half 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 dollars been crying for a comprehensive book
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