1964 Kennedy Different Bold Scuffed Looking SMS??

Peaceman1

Hello, Have this kennedy half dollar very different appearance and surfaces. Extremely bold strike. Coin looks like someone sandpapered surfaces but did not. It came this way.. Very different and can't find anything to compare it to.. Any input appreciated.
Thank You

Peaceman1

This coin has much bolder/thicker lettering and everything really. It has like a pattern surface that looks like someone took sandpaper to it yet they did not. Polishing on both sides that isn't proof yet not business either. Business very shallow and grainy. This has raised looking everything in comparison. I thought originally a mint error proof of some sort and left it aside. I noticed a few online similar but no real descriptions.. just photos. If I remember correctly seeing an image of this on a coin magazine years ago, 80's 90's i think.
In any case it is very unusual and very different.

ifthevamzarockin

Welcome to the forum!

Strange look indeed, it looks like it may have been polished or cleaned at some point.
It is not the type of finish for a proof, business strike or SMS coin.
It's some type of post mint damage.

coinbuf

My guess it was exposed to a weak acid at some time after it left the mint, unusual but just post mint damage from what I can see.

ifthevamzarockin

It appears you are showing 2 different coins in your 2 different threads.

Is that correct?

Peaceman1

Yes indeed... Sorry for the confusion... I am not used to this stuff. The second coin I firmly believe is a 1964 SMS, Pearly defined.. Letters are same... smooth raised not grainy... the die polishing between tops of letters and rim on reverse matches...

Steven59

@Peaceman1 said:

[The second coin I firmly believe is a 1964 SMS, Pearly defined.. Letters are same... smooth raised not grainy... the die polishing between tops of letters and rim on reverse matches... ]

This one is nowhere near your other one but still neither are an SMS example.

JWP

How could a 1964 Kennedy be minted in 1965. The SMS sets are 1965 -1967. What do I not understand? Is this a conspiracy theory?

Che_Grapes

@JWP said:
How could a 1964 Kennedy be minted in 1965. The SMS sets are 1965 -1967. What do I not understand? Is this a conspiracy theory?

They did make a few 64 SMS sets

MFeld

@JWP said:
How could a 1964 Kennedy be minted in 1965. The SMS sets are 1965 -1967. What do I not understand? Is this a conspiracy theory?

What you apparently don’t understand is that the coins being discussed were minted in 1964 (not 1965). And they are not the same thing as the much better known 1965-1967 SMS pieces.

jmlanzaf

@JWP said:
How could a 1964 Kennedy be minted in 1965. The SMS sets are 1965 -1967. What do I not understand? Is this a conspiracy theory?

There are people that don't believe the 1964's are "SMS" - really a special strike. But the market accepts a limited number of these. Whether they were struck specially as presentation pieces or test pieces for the 1965's is, I believe, unknown.

JWP

@jmlanzaf I guess i just got educated on the 1964 SMS. Out of the 3 lessons, your's seems to be the most believable. Thanks. I'm sure I will now be sent back to class again. LOL

ricko

Neither of those Kennedy halves posted by @Peaceman1 are SMS.... Especially this one.... Cheers, RickO

BStrauss3

@JWP said:
How could a 1964 Kennedy be minted in 1965. The SMS sets are 1965 -1967. What do I not understand? Is this a conspiracy theory?

That's the only piece of truth in the entire thread.

The Coinage Act of 1965 allowed the Secretary of the Treasury to keep minting 1964 dated coins until sufficient clad coins were in circulation. They finished up in April 1966. The law allowed them to keep going up to five years.

Meanwhile, all three mints were churning out clad coins without mintmarks (again courtesy of the coinage act).

DannyCoxCLO2

Hmmmmm any thoughts on this 74 Kennedy?

DannyCoxCLO2

MFeld

I have two thoughts. The first is that your coin is a 1964, not 1974. The second is that it’s a normal example, worth about $10.

TomB

You (both the OP and the thread-resurrector) have genuine 1964 JFK half dollars worth their bullion value in silver. Today's value is just under $9 each. That's it.

robec

From what I understand all 1964 “SMS” examples, which includes all 5 denominations, were found in the Mint Directors safe after her death. All have been accounted for and none will be found in the wild.

gumby1234

Haven't all of your posts been about 64 dated coins with supposed special finishes. You will never find or own a 1964 SMS coin. The handful that exist are all accounted for.

lcutler

Even if they have every single die marker, that still doesn't make them sms coins. I seriously doubt they would have thrown the dies out after striking a few specimen coins. They were most likely just put into a regular production run.

Jimnight

Looks like a normal 1964 to me.