1999-S Georgia Proof

Georgia's 1999 Statehood reverse, designed by T. James Ferrell, combines the state's outline with a peach at center and live oak sprays flanking the design, plus a ribbon carrying the state motto "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation." It's the fourth release of the inaugural year and one of the simpler compositions of the 1999 set, with a fair amount of open field that becomes a defining surface for proof grading. The San Francisco Mint struck this proof variety exclusively for inclusion in the 1999 Proof Set, the nine-coin clad set bundling the Lincoln cent, Jefferson nickel, Roosevelt dime, Kennedy half dollar, and all five Statehood quarters. The set's reported mintage of 3,713,359 also fixes the individual 1999-S Georgia clad proof's mintage at that figure.

A real 1999-S Georgia proof shows watery, deeply mirrored fields and squared rims, with full strike-up on the peach, the oak sprays, and the ribbon lettering, plus crisp delineation of the state outline. Because so much of the reverse is open field, this design tends to highlight any handling issues, and high-grade examples need clean planchet surfaces with no hairlines under angled light. Standard 1999 proofs (no cameo) are the most prevalent state and show a fully brilliant peach and oak against equally bright fields. Cameo (CAM) and Deep Cameo (DCAM) examples introduce frosted contrast on the devices, with DCAM producing the strongest visual separation; both designations stack on top of the PR (Proof) numerical grade assigned by PCGS or NGC. Under a 10x loupe, faint die-polish lines should appear in the open field near the state outline; their absence combined with cartwheel luster suggests a polished business strike rather than a genuine proof. Standard specifications apply: 5.67 grams, 24.3 mm, copper-nickel clad over a pure copper core.

For collectors, the 1999 Proof Set remains the cheapest and most common acquisition route, and the Georgia proof is freely available certified or raw as a result. PR68 and PR69 singles trade close to handling cost, and PR70 DCAM examples are the only grade where the price step is meaningful, owing to a strict top-pop census. As an entry-tier Statehood proof, this issue functions as a base-level building block for anyone working a 50-coin proof type set, and the relatively open Georgia design is a useful visual reference for understanding how cameo contrast behaves on a sparse reverse. For the full ten-year program, see the 50 State Quarters series history.