1965-1967 SMS Minted Where?

It was always my dull, dumbed down understanding that SMS were produced at San Fran.........Maybe I missed the train?

 

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Nice. Thanks.

 

One of the reasons the '65 SMS's came out so late in the year is that they shipped the old numismatic (proof) presses to San Francisco from Philly. The SMS's were struck on the proof presses. A lot of the SMS production is virtually identical to proofs except they are struck only once. A very few of these coins appear to have been inadvertantly struck twice.

 

I believe you will find that the above statement is just a myth and does not hold up to scrutiny of the written record or common sense.

 

Great information. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy about a forum like this. Thank you.

 

Unless they removed it, which I doubt, in the proof and mint set section on the last page they do have a couple paragraphs on the SMS sets, including mintages.

 

Yup, I totally missed it. I noticed it after posting.

 

If it's a myth it might be my fault.

The fact is that back in those days that no one ever looked at his coins except to pluck out silver there were often coins seen that were PL in some ways. There was a lot of circumstantial evidence tying this to the use of SMS dies. This didn't stop in 1968 since one still saw a reverse that was "proofy". I never saw one of these "proof strikes" from a die in good condition so suspect that it was a misdirected proof die rather than a full proof die.

But there were some very SMS looking coins in circulation in '65 to '67. They even would "bunch up" in rolls. You can still see them in circulation but now they're in VG condition.

 

Yep, the Red Book has a good whole page on the subject, AND following that the PL coins that appeared during the same years, about 10,000 of all denominations.

One mint made the sets and sent them out to the other mints to sell. Just like the new Inverted Jenny stamp. You have to go to the PO to get them. I did, did any of you get any Jennys?

 

Cool!

I'll have to update my 2005 edition.

 

My understanding as to why no mint marks were used from 1965-67 was that the San Francisco Mint coins were not intended to be struck in high numbers for circulation but to get the new employees familiar with the equipment and up to speed for the production of proof coins. Mint officials didn't want the San Francisco Mint struck coins to disappear from circulation and hoarded like what happened to the 1950-D nickel when collectors found out they were such a low mintage. San Francisco minted far fewer coins those years than Philadelphia and Denver.

 

Perhaps interesting also is that the finishes range from MS to DCAM and values soar. I own an MS68 1966 half which is a sight to behold. The above comment that they were produced with Proof dies, utilizing a single strike led to an amazing spectrum of surface quality.

 

If you have already posted a picture of it on CT, would you post it again here for those of us who are newer members?

 

The US Mint did not use Proof dies in 1966. The only dies used in 1966 were "business strike" and "Special Mint Set" dies. Yes some of the SMS coins from 1966 has the appearance of Cameo and Deep Cameo on mirror fields but the strike is nowhere near the hammering of a Proof coin.

I do not believe NGC has graded any 1966 MS68 and PCGS has only graded one MS68 “business strike” (and I know where that one is).

PCGS has graded sixty-one 1966 Kennedy half dollars “Special Mint Set” coins SP68 or SMS68 with one at the 69 level.

While the “Special Mint Set” 1966 Kennedy half dollars that grade SP68 are nice looking coins, they are not all that spectacular or rare. Now a 1966 SP68DCAM would be spectacular.

1966 SMS SP68, I just checked my inventory and I have six PCGS graded SP68 for that date. Three of them were a gift from a forum member here of his spare(s) die varieties; I have to wonder what the coins he kept in his set look like.

I have to fill out a few college scholarship applications this weekend but if I get time I will try to post some pictures of the few SP-68’s that I have.

 

I would appreciate seeing these pictures. I love the SMS series.