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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cladking, post: 3542912, member: 68&quot;]The mint has changed what they said about the nature of mint set coins but I don&#039;t believe I have.&nbsp; Through 1997 they said the coins are uncirculated specimens and implied the processes used were the same as any other circulation coinage.&nbsp; In 1997 they finally admitted the coins were specially made.&nbsp; By 2001 they were actually advertising them as &quot;...minted on special presses and are struck with greater force than circulating coins...&quot; Numis News June 26,&#039;01 pg 41.&nbsp;&nbsp; But was known by those collecting the coins that there are mant other niceties as well such as more care taken in die preparation, hubbing, and setting as well as a tendency to use better planchets and strike coins at lower speeds.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Processes vary from year to year so quality ranges from essentially proof (a few &#039;66 SMS halfs, to matte proof (a few &#039;90-D dimes), to PL to almost anything else.&nbsp; There are numerous hybrids of various sorts.&nbsp; In the Oct 2000 Coinage Magazine Kari Stone writes quoting Tom DeLorey about special handling and washing of struck coins explaining a lot of the (sometimes) excessive marking of the coins.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Quite a few of the processes and techniques associated with mint sets can be deduced from just looking at a lot of sets.&nbsp; Any given set isn&#039;t going to stand out much in most cases to a non-collector.&nbsp; The coins will just look like shiny pocket change but a close look coupled with a good look at the junk made for circulation will show many differences and these center chiefly around the quality of strike and the quality of the dies used to make them.&nbsp; There are lots of dings but fewer scratches typically.&nbsp; Designs are well struck up and there are very few coins made by noticeably worn dies.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Because of the goal of production is to make all coins of this same quality the differences are sometimes subtle but where only one coin in a thousand achieve the goal in circulation issues, about 2% of mint set coins do.&nbsp; In other words about .1% of circulation issues are Gems about 2% of mint set coins are.&nbsp; When you consider that most coins and most Gems made for circulation were made by worn dies it can be almost impossible to find Gems in bank rolls.&nbsp; Some dates like &#039;69 quarters were rare as even chBU and BU rolls of these are now rare&nbsp; it gives you an idea of how tough it is to find a nice specimen (and where to look).&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Not all mint set issues are the best available.&nbsp;&nbsp; Coins like &#039;77-D Ikes might be more easily found in rolls but as a rule the finest coins went into mint sets.&nbsp; But then in some cases like &#039;80-D half dollars most of them were scraped going into the sets.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Moderns are a tough area and there is no one size fits all means of finding them.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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