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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cladking, post: 835554, member: 68&quot;]Unfortunately I don&#039;t have this book to critique but I&#039;d be extremely surprised if there weren&#039;t a lot more errors in it as well.&nbsp; The modern guys seem to write pretty accurate books about moderns but the classic guys really make a lot of errors.&nbsp; It&#039;s the only only modern book I don&#039;t have because I was told it was mostly just a date by date comparison so I had little interest when it was released.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I don&#039;t disagree with this statement.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>But the fact remains that I can tell one group from another with 100% accuracy and can separate individual coins with a very high degree of accuracy.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>These papers did report statements issued by the mint which could be understood to mean exactly that.&nbsp; These statements were worded such as to leave that impression but the literal meaning of the words as the mint defined them did not exclude the truth about these coins.&nbsp; I&#039;m not claiming they were intentionally misleading but they certainly were misleading. They said things to the effect that &quot;these are regular BU coins as we make each year&quot;.&nbsp; To them it just meant they weren&#039;t proof but collectors jumped to the conclusion that they were exactly the same coins made exactly the same way.&nbsp; They further jumped to the conclusion that the coins were just pulled from production runs.&nbsp; CW or NN might have jumped to the same conclusion at some point but generally they just printed the news and I would have written to them if this error ever appeared in an article.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Now a question - in your previous comments you mentioned basining. Well, basining basically has 2 definitions. </p><p><br /></p><p>By basining I mean that the finished die is ground down until the fields are flat.&nbsp; Technically they are spherical or eliptical but with a very high radius.&nbsp; Proof dies typically basined and circulation dies rarely are.&nbsp; This leaves a BU coin looking dull and lifeless usually.&nbsp; BU dies are ground but not until they are flat.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Only sometimes and there were different characteristics imparted to them.&nbsp; Some were essentially prepared nearly the same as a proof die but usually not to the same degree.&nbsp; You might be surprised what a PL collection of moderns looks like.&nbsp; Some coins are virtually branch mint proofs.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The mint was really very secretive about everything related to mint sets until the mid-&#039;90&#039;s.&nbsp; They had the company line that implied the coins were typical and no information was available except a very very little that leaked out.&nbsp; They didn&#039;t have tours nor release any sort of statements.&nbsp; You could find out about anything you wanted about proof sets but there was a black hole for mint sets.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Almost everything I know is based on observation.&nbsp; I had figured out most of the details long before they were released.&nbsp; The only thing that surprised me was that the presses were slowed.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>New dies do make coins look pretty but it&#039;s harder to fill a new die than an old one.&nbsp; This is another of the problems with circulation issues; when you find a new die strike it probably wont have the highest detail because there wasn&#039;t enough time and pressure to fill the die.&nbsp; Getting a full strike from new dies in circulation is very very tough.&nbsp; It&#039;s hard enough to get good strikes from worn dies.&nbsp; It&#039;s not easy to get good strikes or new dies.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I have found dozens of PL&#039;s in circulation over the years but they tend to be worn by the time I get them.&nbsp; They are usually bad strikes.&nbsp; They are always new dies.&nbsp; Mint set PL&#039;s are neither bad strikes nor worn dies.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Mint set coins tend to usually have full detail except where the dies are oblique (not square) to one another.&nbsp; One side doesn&#039;t strike the planchet as hard.&nbsp; The only other cause of not being full is low striking pressure (ie the dies are setn too far apart).&nbsp; Circulation issues are rarely full strikes unless the dies are approaching mid die state.&nbsp; This means the dies are wearing so the metal doesn&#039;t have to bend or move around those near ninety degree corners that are the lettering and design.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I never could find nice coins in circulation most years.&nbsp; When I found them I&#039;d cherry a bag or two and save them but it took mint sets to find the top notch coins.&nbsp; Part of this is probably bad luck and part is that with some denominations I just gave up and quit looking.&nbsp; Most people can&#039;t imagine what a typical bag of &#039;66 quarters looked like.&nbsp; Calling them MS-20 is being charitable.&nbsp; A nice one might be described as MS-40. Gems are common in the mint sets though.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I believe the only substantive difference between mint set coins and the SMS is that the SMS dies were polished and often basined.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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