Are these Smithsonian 1861 Confederate cent restrikes considered to be 'Proof' grade?

[Treasure_Hunter]

Posts deleted, Dejapooh, your not a mod, issue was already settled by mod. There was no reason for you to reopen it.

 

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[dejapooh]

The dude just asked for some advice on some beautiful coins, not a history lesson.
normaly a proof comes right out of the die's and into individual packaging and were never meant to be touched.
My advice get them out of that tube, they will ruin each other.

There is no intent about touching a proof coin. They are made with specially prepared dies and blanks. They are stuck multiple times or with extra pressure to bring out the design. Often the dies are acid etched to create the frosted cameo effect. Once they are produced, they are proof. Even if they are touched, they are proof. Even if they are circulated, they are proof.

Now, these little medallions have the telltale marks of being Proof. The details are well exposed (indicating multiple strikes), the designs are frosted, indicating acid etching, and the surfaces are deeply mirrored, indicating highly polished dies and high quality blanks.

As for the roll ruining the design, you are right. The frosting on the design is very delicate and can be ruined by a fingernail. IF you have to put them into a tube like that, I would put it away in a cabinet and leave it alone. Better still would be to have each one in it's own non-pvc flip. They are obviously worth a lot more than their silver value (which would be about $1.67 each).