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 Replies: 51 / Views: 39,178 |
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Valued Member
United States
98 Posts |
I've heard mention of satin finish coins a couple of times in topics here; what exactly are satin finish coins? What does one look like? Are they available in circulation? How do you tell the difference between a satin finish coin and a regular business strike?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4846 Posts |
satin finishes are coins with frosted devices like the bust of the coin and the lettering (these coins are commonly known as poofs).The government packages these coins in to airtights and are called proof sets. so these are not meant for circulation but can certainly be found in circulation.
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Valued Member
 United States
98 Posts |
So satin finish is only for proof sets, from what people were saying, it sounded like the mint was making 2 different finishes for circulating coins.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4846 Posts |
no, they only make 1 finish for business strike coins
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2150 Posts |
From 2005 the mint started putting satin finish on coins in Uncirculated Mint sets. The coins in my opinion have a granier appearance to them.
Edited by jokingjoker
10/09/2010 1:31 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2150 Posts |
Here are pics of the satins in my Lincoln Dansco:  |
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Valued Member
United States
98 Posts |
They look like normal uncirculated cents to me, do you have a comparison picture between non-satin and satin?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2150 Posts |
This is the best I have to compare. Even in hand I have trouble telling them apart from business strike. The Dimes I have an easier time telling apart.  |
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Valued Member
United States
98 Posts |
I can't tell the difference. Those are some nice looking Wheats you've got there, I've never seen a Wheat penny that shiny before. |
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Valued Member
United States
182 Posts |
The satins are fun to collect. I have commented on them before, but here goes again. General circulation coins can be almost exactly like the satin finish in the uncirculated sets with the years that satins were inserted. It is great fun finding satins in rolls out of banks, and it is equally fun finding DMPL in those same rolls. One day something irregular will occur and the mint will insert something like a Wide AM in a satin set. Then the satin from general circulation will become it's own variety, and possibly lesser in mintage than the mint sets. Obscurity insures high yields, so put those general circulations away as well, just for luck. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
The Royal Australian Mint of recent years has been producing high quality circulation coins. They are nitriding the surface of the dies then hard chrome plating them, to extend die life. The quality of the planchets has improved as well. The result is sharply struck up coins with semi mirror surfaces in the fields and on the devices.
Th coins when they come out of the presses go straight down the chute to fall on a pile into each other, so that bag marking is more obvious, considering the quality of the coins.
If you can get new circulation coins without any marks on them at all, you have the potential to own valuable coins in the future. I have yet to find a Fleur De Coin (FDC) example, although all of the newly minted coins look quite attractive.
The Mint does, as most mints do, produce uncirculated sets for sale.
I am very disappointed with their proof sets, however. These products have very highly polished fields, with ultra cameo devices. The problem is with the devices. These areas are heavily and coarsely sand blasted, removing much of the fine detail, to the equivalent of maybe very fine (VF) condition. The detail on the circulation coins is very much finer.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2150 Posts |
Quote:
Those are some nice looking Wheats you've got there Thanks! I did a little digging on ebay. Here are some pics of a satin finish nickel and a regular. The satin is on the left.   Edited by jokingjoker
10/11/2010 08:14 am
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Moderator
 United States
188644 Posts |
The satin finish coins from the 2005+ mint sets are not the same as business strikes. They are made using an entirely different process (whereas 2004 and earlier mint set coins were taking from the regular circulation strikes).
It may be up to a collect whether or not to treat them the same, but the truth is that they are different.
Those that feel their collection would not be complete without this variety take the approach that jokingjoker has; collecting both a circulation and satin finish coins and placing them in their own holes.
Others feel that it is acceptable to use the satin finish coins into their albums in place of circulation pieces. This is probably best justified by those that always use mint sets to fill these holes.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4868 Posts |
I know technically the satin finish coins are different than the regular business strikes but even the Red Book doesn't differentiate between them, at least from what I can tell. I am actually re-collecting the Statehood Quarters because I spent my collection of them because they got toned. Anyways I haven't decided if I want to buy the 2005 mint sets and up for the quarters or just pay more and get the regular business strikes. I really don't find the satin finish coins to be attractive. |
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Moderator
United States
188644 Posts |
Three years later...   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4868 Posts |
Yep...lol but still relevant... :P
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Replies: 51 / Views: 39,178 |
Posted 10/09/2010 12:03 pm
