SMS 1960's Kennedy Halves Question - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,166
unholyroller Pillar of the Community United States 1903 Posts	Posted 09/18/2011 7:23 pm In doing roll searching, is there a way to tell if a coin came from a SMS? Report this Post to the Staff

smokeriderdon Pillar of the Community United States 3755 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 12:29 am No way at all. Once they are out of the set, nothing aside from condition would be an indicator. They are proofs after a fashion, but I'm not so sure if they would hold their proofy kind of looks when circulated like the modern proofs do. Report this Post to the Staff
perfessor Pillar of the Community United States 927 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 01:54 am I tend to agree with smokeriderdon. I just looked at the SMS sets that I recently purchased, and although they are shiny, they are not proof and would look very ordinary in a very short time. Especially the cent, which just looks like an uncirculated coin in each set. Report this Post to the Staff
murrellington Pillar of the Community United States 3276 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 02:59 am What are the special mint sets anyways? are they made different than regular business strikes? Report this Post to the Staff
GR58 Bedrock of the Community United States 11951 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 09:37 am Quote: What are the special mint sets anyways? are they made different than regular business strikes? In 1965 - 1967 the U. S. mint did not put any mint marks on coins. The also did not make any regular mint or proof sets. I have heard they were not happy with all the silver coins being pulled out of circulation, causing a lot of effort to supply the country with needed coinage. Also they had problems with/getting the new copper/nickel planchets and made 1964 dated silver coins, if I remember right into 1966. All this work I don't think they were wanting to spend a lot of time making proof and mint sets. They only offered a basic 5 coin set called a special mint set. IMO these coins are more like a UNC proof like coin. Not sure what process they used to make them, if I had to guess maybe just some new polished dies. Report this Post to the Staff
smokeriderdon Pillar of the Community United States 3755 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 10:44 am It wasnt a matter of not wanting to make the effort. They were experimenting with different processes to make the proof coins and with packaging etc. Thats why they look proofy. That may well have been due to the change from silver as the clads would certainly need to be done different considering the difference in metals. Report this Post to the Staff
GR58 Bedrock of the Community United States 11951 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 11:46 pm I just wanted to say the how and why the mint made the SMS coins would be just my opinon. Not sure if I have read any official details, as far as the process or reason for making them. What I was saying, "for a lot of effort", was having to replace the massive amount of coinage that was being pulled out of circulation at that time. 90% silver coins were being saved by many americans, also wheat back Lincoln cents were starting to be saved in larger numbers. Most people I knew in the 60's and 70's were saving the silver coins, I still have some I saved. Those coins had to be replaced. Having to replace all that coinage, had to have some impact on how they put out mint and proof sets. By 1968 they had the coin shortage caught up and were back to making what we consider regular mint and proof sets. I think along the lines of having to make a massive amount of bullion American Siver Eagles in 2009, costs collectors having a proof ASE for that year. I know, not the exact same reasons, but still a negative impact to collectors. Report this Post to the Staff
smokeriderdon Pillar of the Community United States 3755 Posts	Posted 09/19/2011 11:52 pm If that were the case, then why would they bother to make the SMS at all? It was simply the mint trying to figure the best way to process the new clads as proofs. Report this Post to the Staff
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