1898-S $1 Morgan Silver Dollar NGC (Green Label) NGC MS64+DMPL

Deep Mirror Prooflike Morgan Dollars

DMPL (pronounced "dimple") is a short form for Deep Mirror Prooflike. This term is typically reserved for describing Morgan Dollars that were struck for circulation but had unusually clean mirror-like fields and frosted devices that are very similar to a proof coin. The DMPL Morgan is contrasted with the Prooflike (PL) Morgan, which also has mirror fields that are not as reflective as what you would find on the DMPL. Also, the devices are not deeply frosted on the PL as on the DMPL. Usually, in comparison to the number of Prooflike examples, Deep Mirror Prooflike pieces are in the minority and, depending on the issue, can be quite rare.

Deep Mirror Prooflike Morgan dollars were produced from coin dies that were originally crafted from a master hub that imprinted the design into the die. Then the dies were basined or polished in order to provide a mirrored surface upon the field of the die. When using such dies to strike coins, the result was a deeply mirrored surface in the fields and a frosty surface on the raised devices. This produced a cameo contrast between the fields and devices upon the coin that is similar to a proof coin. However, planchets were not polished before striking and the coin was only struck one time.

When the new dies were affixed to the coining press, the first few coins struck had the deeply-mirrored fields and frosted devices as discussed above. However, as the metal from the coin die made its impression upon the coin blanks, the friction of the metal on the coin die being pressed into the metal of the blank began to deteriorate the mirror-like surface of the die. Then the next twenty to thirty coins would have less dramatic mirrored fields. Thus those coins would be Prooflike or PL. Later coins would be semi-prooflike and then those mirror-like elements of the die would wear away.