Okay...so I had another thread going debating this point. Could not get a clear answer, so thought I would throw up a poll. It appears there are differing opinions from the CT community as to the difference between a modern (2011-present) US Mint Set coin and a Circulating quality coin. Are these coins the same (as was the case from mid sixties through 2004), or should there be a designation (SMS, Special, "Finish Name") for Mint Set coins versus a MS quality circulating coin? From 2005-2010 there was a clear difference as the Satin Finish in Mint Sets set them apart from circulating coinage. What is your vote and any thoughts on the matter?
Except for the periods of the modern era when special sets were produced (1964-1967 & 2005-2010) there has only been two types of finishes used. One is the method of production for the proof coins, and the other is the circulation strike which was used for Mint Sets, bags and rolls. Chris
I vote kind of bc i remember reading a bunch of ppl arguing on Mint news blog about this and everyone kept referencing the product description from the mint and how they are specially prepared and handled. But if the plancet is the same and just not dumped in a hopper/bag and banged around maybe that accounts for the tad less brilliant look of high grade business strikes vs the muted (not matte, as those were sms for 05-10) look of Mint set coins. I think it's a Kind of situation but ultimately I say there is a market for it and tpg will grade it (pcgs at least that i know of) as a separate strike. so it's different, but not? lol...
The mint tells us they have a brilliant finish, so bottom line is they are applying a brilliant finsh to the die. I for one, can tell the difference. Deniers are everywhere, they’re the same ones that didn’t like the satin finish mint sets because they couldn’t fill business strike holes with high quality mint set coins and they lobbied the mint to revert back to business strikes in mint sets (that really helped mint set sales - lol). I like the satins, they’re low mintage unique coins, similar to matte proofs. Can you believe there were actually collectors posting here that said they couldn’t tell the difference between satins and business strikes? All I can say is beware. Down the road, more collectors may recognize current mint set coins as SMS and the naysayers may be scrambling to find actual high grade business strikes. Even today, are collectors paying high prices for 2012 mint sets simply for the packaging or do they recognize the coins are different? BTW, 2013 mint set sales were lower than 2012. I for one, collect both business strikes and current SMS mint set coins. After looking at literally thousands of them, the difference is like night and day - the business strikes are "frosty" and the mint set coins are "brilliant" because the dies were prepared differently.
Looking at the cards included in more modern mint sets, I know the mint set coins were specially prepared (higher die pressure, careful handling) from some time in the 1990's. First strikes from circulation dies will sometimes look pretty close to the mint set coins, and if mint set coins get into circulation you will probably no longer be able to tell them apart pretty quickly.
bump...10 votes...from all the opinions on CT....wow! Not what I would have expected from this usually vocal community
Little interest in mint sets these days, thus the recent low mintages - making them the perfect coins to put away, since they are different than business strikes.
Mint set coins are always going to be popular. But, whether a coin is in mint state or has been heavily circulated, a coin is a coin. An old well circulated coin has character, it is nice to look at and can get the imagination going. The debate could go on.
I have no preference on modern issues but just to fill the holes in my albums. When the current quarter series has ended I am also ending my collections at that point and focusing on classic issues. Trend show that mint and proof sets are down as is all modern coinage with only a few exceptions. Most seasoned collectors learned about the loss of value in these sets a long time ago. Some will still buy hoping for the next "BIG" one but not myself. Todays coinage is not unlike 3rd world issues. And just look at the plethora of issues from Canada. All sorts of gimmicks going on. Impossible to keep up with. I even stopped collecting stamps when the Elvis issue came. Billions of them sold for high prices to Elvis fans and today they are worthless except to use a postage. In fact, the 2012 sets of mint products just went off sale, they had that many in storage to last this long.
The first two choices in your poll are correct. Yes, the finish on current Mint Set coins is exactly the same as the finish on the coins struck for circulation. And yes, the finish is the same and the Mint Set coins are handled more carefully. But above and beyond that, and as previously stated, the Mint Set coins are struck with higher pressures and the dies are not used to strike near as many coins as the dies used to strike coins for circulation are. So, it is thought by many that the Mint Set coins are of a slightly higher quality than the circ coins, as a general rule. And as a general rule it is true. But, that does not mean that is always the case. There have always been examples from among coins struck for circulation that, simply because of happenstance, turned out to be nicer than given coins from among the Mint Sets. It happens. As for the term "brilliant" being used to describe Mint Set coins, it is nothing more than an adjective used to set apart Mint Set coins from Proof coins. Brilliant is used to describe the type of finish that Mint Set coins have - that is all. Mint Set coins and coins struck for circulation both have the brilliant finish. Anyone who wishes to believe that is not the case, is welcome to do so. But that doesn't change the truth.
I recently bought a 2014 mint set and if the mint employees are suppose to handle these coins with kid gloves--they failed miserably. To me these coins look like other circulating business strikes. I have circulating 2014 coins that look as good or better than the ones in the mint set.
"Special Handling" does not equate to kid gloves. It merely means the coins are handled a bit more carefully than the coins that are struck for circulation are handled. To put that into proper perspective, you first have to know how the circ coins are handled. Basically, there is no care taken. They spit out of the press at a rate of around 400-700 per minute and are ejected into a large hopper where every coin lands on another coin. They are then dumped, and I mean dumped, into a counting and sorting machine. they are then dumped into a large bag on a pallet. A bag so big it takes a forklift to lift it. They are then to rolling centers where the bags are split and dumped yet again into another counting and sorting machine, and then onto a rolling machine. The Mint Set coins however still go into a hopper right from a press. They are then packaged by machine. That's special handling.
