Hello, Can you tell the difference just by looking at an satin finished dime from a regular uncirc dime? I'm asking because i'm missing dimes in my album from 2005-now and I would like to fill the holes.
yes, they are very different and an experienced eye can pick them out at a glance but that doesn't mean that you can't fill your albums any way that you like
You could always buy the Satin Mint Sets. They aren't all that expensive. You could ask the sellers if they have some or all of the years, and make a group offer to save a little more money. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2005-Origin...85?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item5ae5d2afdd Chris
If you are talking about looking at 2 individual coins, meaning coins not in mint issued sets, sometimes you can. But no, you can't always tell the difference. That's because in some cases the mint used the dies for the satin finish coins for too long and the satin finish wore off the dies which resulted in what were supposed to be satin finish coins looking exactly like business strikes. If you want satin finish coins, then as suggested, buy satin finish sets. But when you do, make sure you look at the sets to make sure the coins are satisfactory.
I find it easy to tell the difference- but as Doug said a few satins may have the satin look to a lesser degree.
