Owner Comments:
NGC Cameo Populations:
The total mintage figure for 1961 is 3,028,244. As of 12/2018, NGC certified coin populations show that there are 2970 Cameo coins total in all grades making up 0.10% of the total mintage while there are 290 Ultra Cameo coins making up 0.01%.
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Cameo Availability:
Considering that the 1961 has such a large mintage, it would seem likely to be one of the more abundant years to find prospective attractive coins. However, it is difficult to find high quality attractive cameos. One reason is because of the prevalence of milk spots and hairlines which will cause an otherwise beautiful coin to be downgraded. Another important reason is because late date Franklins, especially 1961, were melted in large quantities during the silver boom around 1980 before high quality proofs were widely appreciated. I do not see problem-free high quality attractive 1961 coins come up too often. They do surface, but they are surprisingly sparse when considering the original mintage.
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This Coin:
This coin is pure white with no toning, has clean deep fields and very strong cameo (obv: ucam+, rev: ucam). This coin is a knockout! I think I got lucky to find it after about a year. Along the way I rejected a few prospective coins because of milk spotting or toning spots. It is a serious candidate for a Designation Review as an Ultra Cameo.