Question Concerning Kennnedy 1966 Half. SMS Vs Sp?

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Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,361
Jadey Pillar of the Community United States 906 Posts	Posted 02/25/2019 6:58 pm I'm looking at 1966 SMS Kennedy half dollars, and I'm confused by the grading. What does the SP prefix mean on an SMS coin? Is it redundant to SMS, or does it refer to another characteristic? Edited by Jadey 02/25/2019 6:59 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Brotherjavafiend New Member United States 4 Posts	Posted 02/25/2019 7:10 pm From what I can tell "SP" Stands for "Specimen Proof", and are generally double struck on specially prepared, polished blanks using specially prepared dies on a slow, high-pressure press, and the pieces are immediately hand picked off the press with gloved hands and carefully placed in protective holders. This information was gathered by research and may not be 100% correct. Albert Report this Post to the Staff
GrapeCollects Pillar of the Community United States 8946 Posts	Posted 02/25/2019 7:23 pm Brotherjavafiend is right, and good at research Report this Post to the Staff
Jadey Pillar of the Community United States 906 Posts	Posted 02/25/2019 7:46 pm So, if its not in a holder, then its not an SP? So they took the Special Mint Strike coins and found the best of them and put them in a different holder? The SP is an elite version of SMS? Sorry, I'm still a bit confused. Report this Post to the Staff
basebal21 Bedrock of the Community 13014 Posts	Posted 02/25/2019 8:10 pm Quote: So, if its not in a holder, then its not an SP? So they took the Special Mint Strike coins and found the best of them and put them in a different holder? The SP is an elite version of SMS? Sorry, I'm still a bit confused. SP or SMS if it says one or the other is the same thing for those. So yes it is redundant for 1966 Kennedys SP on moderns is kind of a catch all for not business strikes and not proof so it gets used more liberally. Report this Post to the Staff
Jadey Pillar of the Community United States 906 Posts	Posted 02/25/2019 8:21 pm Thank you Basebal21. Also, I want to apologize for the tone of my earlier reply. I reread it, and it seems that I was shooting the messenger, which was not my intention. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,361

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