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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TheMont, post: 2719664, member: 80121&quot;]I don&#039;t claim to know everything about the 1964 and the 1965 to 1967 SMS sets, BUT... As far as I can determne, the 1965-67 SMS were made with regular dies, they just increased the press tonage to give a stronger strike. If that is the case, why would they have to &quot;test&quot; the SMS coins in 1964?</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep in mind the 1964 Proof Sets were made in the Philadelphia mint, and three years later they resumed at the San Fransisco Mint. When they were resumed in 1968 the Mint stoped using the soft Proof Set holders and switched over to the hard plastic ones. It took them three years to make the changeover, maybe they were doing experimentation with how to make proofs and how to house the sets during that three year period. Up until approximately 1971 a cameo proof was made by dipping the dies in a solution of 5% nitric acid-95% alcohol. That didn&#039;t give many cameos that&#039;s why they switched over to sandblasting the die to get the cameo effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>IMHO I thing the SMS, Patern, SP or whatever you want to call the 1964 experimental sets were just the mint taking the opportunity to see if they could make a better Proof Set.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another theory is</p><p>A small number of 1964 coins received a special finish, maybe as an experiment in preparation for the Special Mint Sets that were to be produced the next year. The finish on these coins appears to be something just shy of the Special Mint Set finish, but also something that is vastly different and superior to the finish seen on regular issue coins. To date, all five denominations have been found with this special finish and from one to two dozen examples are known of each. Some of the Proof 1964 Nickels show a diagonal break connecting the top of Monticello&#039;s dome with the S of PLURIBUS on the reverse - these are known as the &quot;Flagpole&quot; variety.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Proof 1964 Dimes show a doubled die on the reverse. Check for the doubling on &quot;UNITED STATES&quot; and &quot;ONE DIME&quot;. Some Proof 1964 Half Dollars are found with what is known as &quot;Accented Hair&quot;, where the hair on Kennedy&#039;s head is more heavily defined.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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