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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;stldanceartist, post: 7525534, member: 13307&quot;]Jim, this is my best attempt to answer your questions:</p><p><br /></p><p>Mint Sets will contain business strike (used for circulation) coins - for most years that will mean these coins will look just like your pocket change.&nbsp; For a few years, though, the US Mint produced different finishes (for example, Satin Finish) that was different.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Proof Sets will contain coins with a specially prepared mirror finish and will have a lot better quality control (special handling for the most part) compared to mint sets.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>SMS sets (1965-1967) are generally somewhere in between the two - more mirrored than Mint Sets, but not as mirrored as Proof Sets - but these can vary in quality (some will look a lot closer to Proof Sets than others with a Cameo or Deep Cameo appearance, but this is not common.)</p><p><br /></p><p>The differences are not in the metal of the coins inside the sets, but in the preparation of the planchets, dies, the details of the strike, and the handling of the coins.&nbsp; Some sets of each type will have silver in them (1965-67 SMS sets have a 40% silver Kennedy Half in them; 1964 Proof sets will have a 90% silver Dime, Quarter, and Half in them, same as 1964 Mint Sets; 1975 Mint Sets will contain all Cu-Ni clad coins) depending on year.</p><p><br /></p><p>My Kennedy Half Dollar is called Prooflike because the appearance of the coin (a business strike coin) more closely resembles the mirror finish of a proof strike coin, even though it is not supposed to.&nbsp; This can happen when either the US Mint over polishes the dies used to strike the coin, or they reuse old proof planchets for business strike coins.&nbsp; The US Mint does not intentionally produce Prooflike coins - it&#039;s just a combination of factors that creates a few lucky coins (and lucky collectors.)</p><p><br /></p><p>There are certain characteristics to determine if a coin is PL or not, I believe it&#039;s clear reflection 3&quot; away from the surface of the coin.&nbsp; Here is <a href="https://www.pcgs.com/news/differences-between-proof-and-prooflike-coins" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.pcgs.com/news/differences-between-proof-and-prooflike-coins" rel="nofollow">PCGS&#039;s page about PL standards</a> and here is <a href="https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/6633/learn-grading-deep-prooflike/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/6633/learn-grading-deep-prooflike/" rel="nofollow">NGC&#039;s page about PL standards</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Anyone who knows better than I do is welcome to correct what I&#039;ve said, if I said something incorrect.</i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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