1964 Special Mint Set SMS

Your description sounds like a put together set in a 1966 or 67 Special Mint Set holder.

 

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how about, post a picture

 

Exactly what I was thinking too conder.

Yes please post a pic mike

 

Sure they exist. Finding one is the problem.

 

You must have posted it on a different website. Please post a link. It's not on this site.

 

Where did Jane's post go? Moved? I found the thread over on CC.

 

In 1969 I was in school in Kentucky and I bought a 1964 mint set in a hard plastic case and brown box from my roommate . He said his grand mother worked at the mint and these were special and many were made gave him one. He needed money to see his girlfriend in Ohio so I bought it from him.

 

In 1969 I was in school in Kentucky and I bought a 1964 mint set in a hard plastic case and brown box from my roommate . He said his grand mother worked at the mint and these were special and many were made gave him one. He needed money to see his girlfriend in Ohio so I bought it from him.

 

Every thing I read say all 64 proof sets come in envelopes not plastic holders or boxes

 

Imo that looks like a regular 1964 Proof set in a third party holder. The regular proof sets did come in a sealed flat pack cellophane though, I'm not sure if the 64 SMS coins did. But the SMS sets have coins that are like the 65-67 SMS sets and are noted for having heavy die polishing lines showing and a few other identifying features such as the droplet on the '4' on the Kennedy. It's believed they all came from the same place initially which was the estate of the ex-mint director who served at the time they were created.

 

The 64 SMS coins did not come in holders.

 

These are better known as "special strikes", not SMS. Go to VDB Coins website for a full detailed description.

 

CHECKED MY DATA BASE and found this: 3-5-88~ 1964 12P SMS 978,157,
3-5-88~ GREY BOX 10-3-88 1964 11P SMS 978,157. I have not looked at these two each 1964 SMS IN 25 YEARS. MAYBE MY GRAND CHILDREN WILL HAVE SOME MORE VALUABLE COINS, STAMPS AND UNCUT SHEETS OF BILLS

 

What is it about the coins or the holder that make you think that they were packaged by the US Mint?

Further, why do you think that they're SMS coins rather than proofs?

 

MY DATA BASE INDICATED THAT I PURCHASED THE COIN FROM THE MINT IN 1964. I'M A RETIRED LAW LIBRARIAN AND WHEN I MOVE TO A SENIOR HOME I WILL LOOK AT THESE SETS.

 

As you can tell, verification that it is a mint product and not a third party package will be a significant factor in determining value.

If it is a Mint product, it is extremely rare. If not, then it is extremely common.

Of course, the Mint was doing some interesting things in 1964. They produced Peace Dollars which were supposedly then melted down. Rumors that they missed one or more is the stuff of legends. Perhaps the 64 SMS is another.

 

If you bought it from the Mint then it is NOT a SMS set. They didn't sell the 1964 SMS sets, just mint sets and proof sets. The SMS sets did not come to the market place until the early 70's and apparently came form the estate of Eva Adams who was director of the Mint in 1964.

 

Bear with me on this. I was looking on eBay for SMS Kennedy Halves. I found a listing that the Seller had listed incorrectly. His listing was "1968 SMS Kennedy Half MS68". I looked at the picture and it was a 1965 SMS Kennedy Half NGC in MS68. I contacted the Seller and asked if the coin was a 1965 or a regular 1968. He told me it was a 1965 SMS, but because a bid had been made on the coin, he couldn't correct the mistake. I wound up winning the auction for $154, apparently other people didn't catch the mistake. A MS68 1965 SMS Kennedy is rare and I believe it is the highest graded. It does have prooflike qualities about it and I'm very happy to add it to my silver Kennedy collection.

 

I suspect it would be even better if it were a 1968 SMS half since they stopped making SMSs in 1967 as far as I know. In 1968 they resumed the production of proof sets eliminating the need for SMSs. I hate knowing this because I was an active collector at that time. In fact, I disputed the authenticity of the first 1968 cent I saw with a Mint Mark because I KNEW they had stopped making coins with mint marks... LOL!

 

Correct. While they were transfering Proof Set production from the Philadelphia Mint to the San Fransisco Mint (don't know why it took three years) they made Special Mint Sets (SMS) in 1965, 1966, and 1967. They were made with higher press pressure than regular halves, but they didn't receive any special handling. They still went down the conveyor belt, through the counter, and dumped into a bin. That's why one in MS68 is so rare, after going through the above treatment. It was also sold in the flexable holder that was used for previous Proof Sets, it wasn't until 1966 that mint switched to the hard plastic holder.