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this market was virtually ignored 30 years ago. What brought it to prominence? Quite simply, information was made available that resonated with the collecting public. At that time, high grade Morgan dollars were not even considered worth collecting by many numismatists, because they were thought to be so plentiful. In other words, though they ranked high in categories 1. Beauty, 2.Quality, and 4. Price, in collectors'' minds they ranked extremely low in category 3. - Rarity. Therefore, their desirability as a collectible was thought to be limited. However, valuesofoldu.scoins several landmark books were published on Morgan dollars in the 1970''s and early 1980''s which educated the collecting public on many aspects of the Morgan dollar series they were not aware of. Probably the most significant of these books, Wayne Miller''s "The Morgan and Peace Dollar Textbook", was the first book that provided an in-depth date-by-date analysis of this series along with photographs. Significantly, Miller was one of the first authors to estimate a date''s rarity not only in uncirculated condition, but also in gem MS 65 uncirculated condition, and gem MS 65 prooflike condition. This new information was a tremendous boon to the devoted to it. Here is one final, very important similarly between the Morgan dollar series and the Cameo Proof series: In grading prooflike Morgan dollars, the two largest grading services in the nation, PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) and NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), offer two grades of prooflike for that series - "DMPL" (Deep Mirror Prooflike) - for the very earliest strikes off the business die, and a simple "PL" (Prooflike) - for the slightly later strikes. PCGS and NGC now offer a similar delineation for all proof coinage from the 1950 to 1970 era. As of early February, 1992, PCGS offers two cameo designations for early strike cameo proofs - "DCAM" (Deep Cameo - roughly valuesofoldu.scoins equivalent to what we refer to as "ultra-heavy") - for those cameo proofs which were the very earliest strikes off the proof die, with the heaviest contrast, and a simple "CAM" (Cameo) designation for those coins which were slightly later strikes, but which still possess significant cameo contrast. NGC instituted their own two-tier system similar to PCGS'' in the spring of 1995. With PCGS and NGC now involved, novices will for the first time have their coins recognized by the most widely used grading service in quality 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 valuesofoldu.scoins 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 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
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