Proof Coinage Before 1860
Although there are coins from the 1790s that have claims to proof status, most authorities agree that regular proof coinage did not begin until 1817. However, even then, proof coins were struck on a hit-and-miss basis, more often miss than hit.
Once proof coinage began anyone wanting a proof coin merely had to ask and then pay the face value. In the case of gold or silver, this meant the equivalent in precious metal. There was no charge for the service as Mint officials considered it a service and good public relations.
There have long been stories in the numismatic press that this or that proof coin was part of a presentation set. This is not correct as presentation sets, though made on rare occasion, were not part of normal Mint procedures. The reason that more proof coins do not exist prior to the mid-1850s is simply that more collectors did not ask for them. It is also true that in times of great pressure on the Mint, as in 1853, collectors were refused proof coins because of a lack of time to do the job properly.
For 1817, a small number of cents and half dollars are known in proof, perhaps connected in some way with the resumption of silver coinage after the War of 1812. The coiner made these up in anticipation of
