Satin Finish

The satin finish coins are relatively new, having been introduced in the 2005 Mint Sets and in use since then. Prior to that, the Mint Set coins were regular business strikes and were not treated much differently from circulating coinage. The satin finish coins are struck with specially prepared dies on lower speed, higher pressure presses. Because of that extra care, the satin finish coins tend to have a sharper strike and tend to be 2-3 grade points higher on average than business strikes. The finish should be considered a third type of striking in addition to business strikes and proofs.

As for using the Mint Sets to fill date albums, I say go for it. I may be a bit biased though because I am currently doing exactly that I just find it to be easier to break open a Mint Set than to track down all of the individual business strikes for a given year. Many other people do that as well but there are also others that would never break open a Mint Set or the must absolutely have the business strikes in their album since it is a distinctly different strike.

The main difference in appearance would be luster, business strikes have cartwheel luster while the luster on a satin finish is softer and more diffuse. The satins also tend to have much smaller scuffs and bagmarks tend to be small as well compared to business strikes.

BTW, thank you for your service and here's wishing you a safe return from Iraq

It is most definitely a third type of strike, being neither business strike or proof.

In reality they should have their own hole, but ultimately it depends on the collector.

If your albums have been built from mint and proof sets (that is, no circulated or potentially circulated coins have been used to fill any holes), then I see no problem at all with continuing to break up sets to fill the holes.

Thanks for the the opinions, and I guess like I have read so many times before "to each is own" as far as how and what people collect. Now I only hope that I will get a nice mint set after reading about the poor quality of these sets. Thanks again.

Yep, all of the Mint Sets since 2005 have this new type of strike with the satin finish. The coins receive much greater care and they are struck on low speed high pressure presses, this extra treatment results in coins on average 3-4 grade points higher than business strikes. I am not sure why it was changed though but it has created a new market for high grade business strikes since better examples were formerly cherrypicked from Mint Sets.

For the most part, I have to agree. In essence, we now have two proof sets from the mint: Frosted Cameo and Satin Finish.

From the glossary (emphasis mine):

At minimum, the new Mint Sets are "Lite Proof" sets.

I am sure most also know, that PCGS is placing these Satin finish coins in a different category.
Now you can have coins graded PF for proof, MS for mint state coins and SP for satin finished coins.

I think, only my opinion, that this is the mints response to all the complaints they received about the poor condition of coins that were in the mints set. I am sure they were getting a lot of them returned.
Not only from black/water spots on the cents, the State Quarters were very bad. I opened up a mint set last week where the Maryland quarter was the worst condition I have seen for what should be a mint quality coin.
If I only have the choice of good/better quality coins in satin finish or bad quality coins in business strikes then I will take the satin. I am sure my future State Parks Dansco will have all satin finished coins, unless they make more changes. In my experience when enough people complain to the mint, they will make changes that most don't like, for instance if you were in the hobby in 82-83 when they did not make mint sets, from what I remember, because of complaints about quality. Our government at work ....