2010-S Millard Fillmore Proof

San Francisco struck 2,224,613 proof Millard Fillmore dollars in 2010, the lead-off design of the year's four-coin proof set and the thirteenth proof in the Presidential series. The figure stepped down again from the 2009-S proof totals and continued the steady annual decline as collector subscriptions to the Mint's proof program softened across the late 2000s. Distribution went out exclusively through the 2010 Proof Set, the 2010 Silver Proof Set (which carried only the silver-bearing denominations and not the dollar), and the four-coin 2010 Presidential Dollar Proof Set, with no rolls or bags released. Phebe Hemphill's portrait of the thirteenth president pairs with Don Everhart's Statue of Liberty reverse, the same designs used on the 2010-P and 2010-D circulation strikes from Philadelphia and Denver.

Strike characteristics on the 2010-S Fillmore are uniformly sharp, as expected of a single proof striking from polished dies on a polished planchet, with full definition on Fillmore's hair, collar, and lapel and on Liberty's torch flame, gown folds, and crown rays. Surfaces show the deep mirrors and frosted devices typical of late-2000s San Francisco proof production, and the contrast easily qualifies for the Deep Cameo or Ultra Cameo designation that PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, apply when frost and field contrast are heavy enough to read across the entire device. The "S" mintmark is incused on the edge in a third strike along with the date and the mottoes, and proofs with missing or partial edge lettering are catalogued as errors and trade well above the issue's typical certified prices.

The 2010-S Fillmore proof is common in absolute terms but worth seeking in PR69 Deep Cameo or PR70 Deep Cameo for set builders chasing matched grades across the four-coin 2010 Presidential set. Raw examples in the original Mint capsule still acquire easily through the resale market for whole-year proof sets; certified singles appeal mostly to registry collectors filling specific slots. For broader context including the program's transition to collector-only distribution after 2011, see the Presidential Dollar series history.