YN Corner: A Love for Proof Lincolns

I began collecting coins when I was nine or 10 years old, starting with a 50 State Quarter album that my parents gave me. A couple of years later, I started looking through a Red Book [A Guide Book of United States Coins] to see the incredible designs the United States Mint had produced over the course of many decades. I was extremely fascinated with how coins were produced and what made them so special.

In 2021, I attended Witter Coin University, where I was able to touch up my grading skills and make many connections with fellow young numismatists. Before Witter U, I was planning on staying a coin collector. But over time, I realized that being a dealer would be an incredible way of sharing my knowledge with others.

My current fascination is toned coins, especially toned Proof Lincoln Cents. I was always interested in learning how these coins were able to generate these beautiful colors. I started my business on Instagram in 2021 expecting to make a few connections and sales, but slowly I branched out into buying and selling a variety of coins as a dealer.

Toned coins remained my passion, and in 2022 I met one of my mentors who guided me through the ins and outs of this business. He gave me collecting tips and pointed me in the right direction of the best dealers to do business with. I was very lucky to meet him in person last July. Over time, I started collecting and researching toned RB/BN [Red-Brown/Brown] Proof Lincoln Cents because I was always fascinated about their rarity. One example is the 1953 proof, which is the toughest date for any color for the whole series – especially with the BN designation. I was lucky to be able to purchase this incredible 1953 Lincoln Cent graded PR66BN – a top pop of the series in BN – for my collection.

I started doing even more research and found out these coins typically yield a variety of beautiful colors because of the way they were stored in cellophane packaging, with humidity a leading reason these coins often see excellent toning. I was really focused on finding all of the top-pop proof Lincoln Cents for my collection. Recently, another friend of mine offered me a 1973-S Lincoln Cent graded PR68RB, which is the top pop in RB for the date. I was completely overjoyed to find this coin; it exhibits beautifully toned red colors, and the surfaces are flawless.

I’ve learned as both a dealer and collector that there are multitudes of potential career paths in numismatics. The great part of this hobby is that there are so many amazing people to meet and so many opportunities that are offered. My goal is to become a PCGS grader or even work for one of the auction houses in the future.