Luke Judge

I was strolling along Rio’s famous Copacabana Beach when suddenly I felt forceful yanking at my throat. I thought my assailant had gotten my backpack with valuable documents and money, but to my relief, I realised the miscreant had ripped a thin gold chain with a small diamond from my neck. He’d also gotten my faux gold earrings, all while riding a bike. “My diamond!” I screamed. Luckily he dropped the goods – I learned later that resisting can lead to bodily harm – and with the help of a wonderful ‘abuela’ (grandmother) I recovered my lost gems.

I was foolish to wear jewellery in Rio. Warnings abound in South America’s capital cities about street crime, largely committed by ‘favela’ kids so poor that theft is their only option. The threat of being accosted is real but can be avoided and there is so much to commend the continent that fear of crime should not dissuade women travellers from exploring South American treasures.

On a recent trip to South America I was rewarded with amazing treats. These ranged from learning about Inca culture to listening to music from wonderful wind instruments; from making new friends to eating delicious local cuisine; from exploring the metropolis of Buenos Aires to taking in the splendid mountains surrounding Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Here are some highlights recorded in my travel journal: “At the Arcos de Lapa, a 17th century viaduct in Rio, we watched the annual Easter Passion Play enacted by 100 professional actors. As Christ made his way through the Stations of the Cross to his crucifixion, I was so moved I wept. …The biggest attraction in Rio is the beauty of the city itself, especially when viewed from Sugar Loaf Mountain or Rio’s iconic Christo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). … Rio is superbly situated with mountains, sea, and bay forming exquisite vistas.

“No wonder Buenos Aires is called the Paris of South America! Wide boulevards and neighbourhood cafes abound in this cosmopolitan city. … At a parilla (steak house) we ordered sirloin tip steaks and a bottle of Malbec; both melted in our mouths like butter. … In the Cemetario Recoleta everyone who is anyone in Argentine history, including Evita, has a spectacular monument. … We went to the central square, site of the weekly marches of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo and the old presidential palace, Casa Rosa, where Evita made speeches to adoring crowds. …San Telmo and La Boca are colourful, bohemian neighborhoods…the tango show in which four couples perform the amazingly sensual and difficult dance of Argentina was terrific…We took the Subte (subway) to the Museo de Evita Peron, housed in a gorgeous mansion she acquired as a women’s shelter. There are videos, photographs, the big black Cadillac limo, Evita’s clothes and more. I continue to be perplexed by this woman but one thing I know for sure: she had great taste in shoes!

“Chileans are extremely friendly and playful, easily given to laughter. …The Plaza des Armas is a lovely square with plentiful palm trees, a fountain, sidewalk artists and people milling about. … At the Palacio de la Moneda, the large government building where in 1973 Salvadore Allende died when the Pinochet revolution began, we watched the changing of the guard as they marched with the precision of New York’s famed Rockettes. … In the neighbourhood of Bella Vista, we visited one of Pablo Neruda’s three houses in Chile. Neruda called the house he designed, La Chascona, “the woman with the tousled hair” after Matilda, his third wife. It is intriguingly full of Neruda memorabilia. Bella Vista is also where the rickety funicular takes visitors to the top of Cerro de San Cristobal for a bird’s eye view of the city. I could hardly look down as we ascended but the view was spectacular!

“As we drive to Valparaiso and Vin del Mar vineyards are plentiful. … En route to Santa Cruz, mountains surround us, with occasional glimpses of snow-caped Andes. Men on horseback in traditional flat-top sombreros dot the road. Along the ‘Ruta de Fruta’ acres of vineyards form a palate of goldenrod, autumnal browns and Christmas red and green. The sun burnishes the landscape with that special light captured by Impressionists; everything is bathed with a calm aura of expectation.

“Pabel, our tour guide, meets us at Lima’s (Peru) Airport with a great bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. … The cuisine, as everywhere else we’ve been, is the best; we think Europeans must overcome their andocentric culinary ideas and wine snobbery! … Cuzco is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. Surrounded by mountains, bustling and bigger than I’d imagined, its main plaza is a gardened centre of activity. The spectacular cathedral is representative of 16th century Spanish architecture. Shops and cafes surround the plaza, arcaded for shade. Women in colourful indigenous dress wander with their llamas in hopes of a few solas (coins) if tourists photograph them. …We make our way to the bus that will take us up to Machu Picchu, hairpin curve by hairpin curve. Verdant mountain spikes surround us; occasionally we see white-peaked Andes above the river running like a long ribbon below. …Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley are awesome: Incredible landscapes and Inca marvels of architecture, myth, practice.”

These excerpts barely reveal all there is to see, taste, experience, and enjoy on the beautiful, friendly continent of South America.

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In coin collecting, the “proof coin” is a type of coin that is often sought out by collectors. They are specially created coins with higher standards and finish. The qualities are quite different than the typical circulated coin because of their reflective characteristics and construction.

So what makes a proof coin so different? A newly minted coin may not be circulated to the public, but that doesn’t necessarily make the coin a proof coin. To really understand the difference, you’d want understand how the coin is made.

Proof coin construction is unlike circulated coins. The coin is forged when two dies strike and collide with the metal. The two dies have the front and back sides of the coin engraved with the coin design. Moreover, the coin is struck twice giving the design a finer detail than other coins. By striking twice, the metal is embedded more into the template of the die and allows finer lines and shapes.

The proof coin is also unique by the polish and treated die, which gives it a different appearance compared to circulated coins. The dies are applied with acid and the background of the die is polished. This gives the coin a mirror-like feel for the background and a frosted look for the other parts of the coin design.

Proof coins also have a notable distinction. The coins will typically have a letter, a mintmark, near the year embedded on the coin. The letter provides the location of where the coin was minted. Common places include P for Philadelphia or D for Denver.

In coin collecting, the grading of proofs is based on “PR” or “PF”. This is not too different from the grading of other non-circulated coins. The grade could be anywhere from PR60 to PR70, where PR70 would be perfect. If the grade is lower than PR70, the grade is less perfect as it gets lower. Sometimes the grade may fall below PR60 if the coin was mishandled during the manufacturing process.

There is a variant of the proof coin called “reverse proof”. Reverse proof coins are very similar to the proof coin. However the big difference is that the field (the empty space) has a frosty-like characteristic, almost like tarnished metal. The raised devices (raised images) have a mirror-like quality. It’s commonly thought that only one side of the coin has the reverse proof characteristics–because the word “reverse” is often associated with the reserve side of the coin. But both sides have the reserve-proof characteristics.

Another variant of the proof are the prestige proof coins. These coins were the commemorative pieces during the 1990s, like the popular state quarter sets.

The coins do not come cheap. Depending on the year or collection, proof coins can set you back from a few bucks to thousands of dollars. It’s important to assess the coin’s value by consulting a professional coin collector or appraiser.

For coin collecting, proof coins should be valuable pieces in any collection. Proof coins are constructed with more precision, better materials and finer instruments. All of these provide coin collecting a trophy piece for any collector.

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Gold coin collectors may benefit from a new registry designed to help them list their early American items.
The registry category has been designated by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and coincides with the inclusion of a new early gold coin collection.br /em style=font-size:11px;The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited copy; and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council./em

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A couple months ago I gave an update on my gold dollar coin purchases

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