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opportunity to own the "ultimate". I recently sold a 1954 NGC Cameo PF 66 worldcurrency Lincoln cent, ultra-heavily contrasted, to a client for $400. No other 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 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, 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, worldcurrency 1992, PCGS offers two cameo designations for early strike cameo proofs - "DCAM" (Deep Cameo - roughly 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 worldcurrency 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 successive coin struck from one of these dies would exhibit somewhat less cameo contrast than the coin before. Eventually, the intense pressure of die on planchet would wear the devices to the same smooth, brilliant appearance as the surrounding fields of the coin. These subsequent coins, brilliant proofs, have no worldcurrency discernible contrast between the devices and fields. They are also far more common than the earlier cameo strikes. In recognition of the collector demand for these cameos, the mint began experimenting with sandblasting techniques in the early-mid 1970''s which helped create a much more intense cameo effect. They also began chromeplating the dies to give them added durability. As a result of these new techniques, proof dies today can strike many hundreds of exceptional "black & white" cameos before they begin to wear. What is somewhat astonishing, however, is that if one is patient, and fortunate, one can occasionally find cameos minted from the earlier 1950 to 1970 era that possess the intense cameo contrast, quality, and eye-appeal of these worldcurrency later proofs! These very early strikes, depending on the year, are obviously quite rare. When one also considers the inferior nature of the proof
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