Question: I was recently offered an 1823 restrike large cent described as a Proof, but I can find no record of Proofs existing. Were Proofs struck of this issue? Also, were these made at the Philadelphia Mint.
Answer: All known specimens are struck from the same pair of dies. The obverse is somewhat prooflike when viewed at a certain angle to the light, but the die was not a Proof die. The reverse, which is mismatched, is quite irregular, has many raised evidences of die rust, and is not prooflike.
In summation, there were no Proofs made, although the obverse of many specimens is somewhat prooflike.
Restrikes were made privately, and on more than one occasion, outside of the Mint, using dies that the Mint had sold as “scrap iron.” Restrikes were made on copper (the usual type) and silver (quite rare) planchets.
