I usually purchase ASE’s in tubes. Occasionally when the right opportunity comes along I will purchase an individual piece. I don’t remember when or where I bought this one..... the ASE on the right is in a government holder. The ASE on the left came from a tube. It occurred to me that the finish is different. Is this one that they call “burnished”?
Burnished ASE's are non-bullion strikes with usually a W mint mark. They are the made for collectors non proof coins sold by the mint to the public. Unlike the bullion coins sold to a few distributors in the Green Monster boxes.
Is the ASE on the right a burnished example? It is in a government holder and is a West Point mint. Though the government box says nothing about the finish.
They started making "Burnished" in 2006 with W mint mark. The first ones came in a box with a little blue velvet drawstring bag. They were a hot item for some reason and the price jumped early.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the 2006-W Burnished SAE the first year that the burnished series was sold by the Mint directly to the public? Until that time, the only "individual" coins that the Mint sold directly to the public were proof coins. Right? ~ Chris
Another thing that happened that year was the box variations. It would not be considered an error. But some boxes had large print and some smaller print. Just a purchasing or contractor issue. But it was interesting and I kept some of each. Sold all of them but still have the two varieties for fun.
I have a 2008 ASE burnished coin with no MM on the reverse. The redbook does not make a separate listing for burnished a not burnished coins like it does with the MM coins. Are all the 2008 ASE with no MM burnished coins?
I think that the presence of a mint mark distinguishes the regular uncirculated strikes from the burnished strikes. I could be wrong about that though.