How can you tell a sms 1964 Kennedy...

Placid

from a regular proof?
I see pcgs has graded 9 total.

DHeath

It is my understanding that all have been graded. There were only a few (est.15) known examples, and the collectors I've spoken to believe all have been slabbed. Braddick indicates a "hard" surface. You might want to PM him.

Gilbert

This might sound stupid, but, wouldn't it be clad?

OR, is it SMS dies striking a silver planchet? If so, then I suppose comparing the '64 with the die characteristics of the '65 SMS Kennedy in the attribution guide. Eyeballing it may be a tad difficult.

Don't both exist, 1964 on clad and 1965 on silver, both, transitional errors? I guess a SMS die struck on silver would be, a third transitional error?

No answer, and more questions.

braddick

I've seen three of these and each shared certain characteristics. The first, a COMPLETE and Strong Strike! Every detail of the hair is visible and the shield is completely separated from the tail feathers.
Next were the surfaces. They had a hard (almost like the 98-S SMS), smooth appearance and a pearl gray patina that was very attractive.
The rims were more squared off too.

Here's a little tidbit of trivia regarding these: The One And Only PCGS MS68 1964 Kennedy was really one of these SMS's. It was crossed into an NGC holder way back in the early nineties- even making Coin World front page headlines upon doing so, as the first "MS69" Kennedy. The NGC Insert labeled it as "Specimen" and MS69. Really a neat Kennedy to look at!
What was kind of funny was a few of us could NOT get PCGS to change the population reports and the lone "MS68" stayed in the listings for years! Of course everyone that collected Kennedies in Mint State knew there were NO MS68's, but having one listed as such did throw off, even just a little bit, the price of the five (at the time!) MS67's that were graded (at the time I owned three of those).