Nickels Minted In 1966, 1967 And 1968

Title should have been 1966, 1967 and 1968. Sorry

1965-1967 were the years for the Special Mint Set (SMS) coins. The finish is somewhere between a proof and a business strike. The circulation nickel dies for those years were known to be run hard, so the fields are often marred and the devices puffy. The SMS coins have a satin gleam to the field, and precise, thin lettering.

You can study them in the PCGS image catalogs. However, by far the best way to study them is to simply purchase one. They cost a buck or two. The 1965-1967 mint sets are enthusiastically chopped up to release the 40% silver SMS Kennedy halves, and there is a apparently a vast surplus of SMS nickels with no demand.

SMS: https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin.../images/4197

Business: https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin.../images/4077

Actually, there is one easy distinction that slipped my mind in the first response: SMS nickels will have full steps, or at least reasonably complete steps. A mint state, full steps business strike 1965 or 1966 nickel would cost a couple thousand bucks, and 1967 MS FS is like a unicorn. So if your 1965-1967 nickel has nice steps, it is almost certain to be a Special Mint Set strike.

Well said by Brandmeister.