I recently ordered some coins online, including 1965, 1966, and 1967 Kennedy half dollars. I already had the SMS versions of each one from special mint sets I purchased a while ago, so I ordered these to fill the non-SMS holes in my Dansco album (not sure why the Kennedy album has holes for non-SMS coins from 65-67 when none of the other Danscos do). The place I ordered them from had both the SMS and regular ones for sale, so I specifically ordered the non-SMS versions. Now that I've received the coins, I think they look like SMS coins. For the most part, they're indistinguishable from my known SMS versions of these three years. I expected these to be somewhat more ordinary looking, like a regular BU Kennedy. So what I'm wondering is whether there's any foolproof way to tell whether these are SMS versions or not. Thanks, Kris
Kris, that is a good question. I didn't know that they made both business strike Kennedy's and SMS Kennedys. I was always under the impression that the mint only minted the SMS Kennedys that year. The quality was a mixture of what a unc circ coin would be with the process close to that of a proof. But what do I know? Its after twelve and I am wayyyyyy past my bed time. Good luck finding out. I hope you were not taken!
The fields of the SMS set coins should be much more The fields of the SMS set coins should be much more reflective and clean that the regular issue and the rims should be more "knife like" or a very definitive edge, but if you got SMS coins for the price of regular 40% silver coins your way ahead. Turn them in the light and think about it you should be able to tell easily.
Thanks for the pics. However, it's been experience in looking through SMS sets that they're not all that shiny or "proof-like" as they are often described. My 67 set looks like that, but my 65 and 66 aren't quite so shiny. That's what's making it hard to tell with these coins I have here. They all seem kind of in-between. I'll take a closer look this weekend and maybe take some photos if I can't come to a conclusion myself. Thanks!
After taking a closer look at the coins, I think they're not SMS. They're only a little less reflective than my SMS coins, but the edges are definitely less clean and "knife-like" than the SMS coins. Thanks for the help!
