Can you tell the difference between a SMS and a non-SMS quarter?

MadMarty

Is the SMS on the left or right?

FC57Coins

The SMS is on the left - but the pics could be better

keets

i think the SMS is on the right.

al h.

ksteelheader

SMS is on right. Like the man said, how about some better pics. Or did the Canadians confiscate your camera????

Coulport

The one on the right.

Ya still need to see the luster with it in hand.

cladking

The one on the right appears SMS. The one on the left falls somewhat out
of the center of some parameters for this coin, but it wouldn't surprise me
if it too is SMS. The strike is not extremely good but the fields are extremely
flat which is atypical for circulation issues.

KlectorKid

Right.

beorn

i say right

Placid

Whats a sms?

ROBBItheOKIE

I would have to say the one on the right by the photograph, but since the 65 mint set was in a flimsy package instead of a hard plastic it is really possiable that the one on the left is a SMS also, but I will say the right one.

MadMarty

It's the left one, I made the right picture a bit darker to throw you all off!

mnmcoin

SMS on the right. What do I win?

morris <><

MadMarty

No Morris, the SMS is on the left!

mnmcoin

I still think the sms is on the right.

mo <><

keets

hey Marty

what's the sense of doing something like this if you try to manipulate the pictures to influence the answers you'll get?? that's kind of like some eBay sellers, don't you think? it also renders your thread question as meaningless. there is enough difficulty with these in-hand without a manipulated picture.

what was your intended purpose??

al h.

cherrypickincoin

Before I looked at your response, Marty, I was going to guess the left one only because the right one was way too obvious. I knew there had to be something more to it...

MadMarty

They were both taken with the same settings and light, the regular quarter just came out darker. I didn't make it darker, I just didn't make it lighter.

keets

I made the right picture a bit darker to throw you all off!

They were both taken with the same settings and light, the regular quarter just came out darker. I didn't make it darker, I just didn't make it lighter.

OK, Marty. which is it??

al h.

ldhair

I caught this thread a little late but the detail in the hair gave it away

beorn

I thought he might be trying to trick us so i figured he knows we,ll pick right,then i thought he,ll know we know that...then i started to get a headache

Bugs

....like someone said, What is SMS...San Francisco Mint Set?









~*Bugs*~

KlectorKid

Special mint set. There were no proofs so they had these instead.

Colorfulcoins

I think someone needs to teach PCGS graders the difference. I cannot tell you how many original unopened bankwrapped rolls of 65/66/67 dimes I've opened and submitted coins and I get both SMS and MS grades out of the same roll. As an experiment, I've resent in coins and SMS coins come back MS and MS coins come back SMS. You know how hard it was (still is to some extent) to make a MS67 or MS68 dime in MS and not SMS????? As another test, I took a SMS 68 dime, cracked it, and sent it in with coins that PCGS had previously graded as MS. All the dimes including the SMS 68 came back in MS holder (unfortunetely MS67 not SMS68)......just proves my point that there's NOT nearly enough consistency - and if PCGS can't consistently tell, how can anyone else?

PRONUMIS

I say on the right because of the noticable reeded edge other impossible to tell from pic.

cosmicdebris

Right hand side

cladking

The one on the right does appear to be SMS above and beyond what just
a picture would do. It has "square" rims which is more typical for an SMS or
proof than for a circulation issue, it has fairly flat fields, it is clean, but most
importantly it is nearly fully struck. This is most unusual for circulation coins.
It would be interesting to see this coin in hand.

The mint apparently used the SMS dies to strike circulation coins after they
were retired as mint set coins. Perhaps this is an "early" die state of one of
these.

DHeath

I'm late to this party, but there are a few diagnostics I use, and strike isn't one of them. Almost all of the 65 SMS Washingtons show die polish lines just inside the obverse rim at 8:00 and 4:00. This is especially evident on the early die state coins that display cameo, but is even apparent on this late die state coin I've pictured below. It is a SMS coin. You can see from that coin that strike is not a good indicator. The hair detail is almost absent. The reverse is weak as well, and the eagle's right wing almost blends with the field. Field quality is not certain for these coins either. Although the coin below is mark free, it should grade no higher than MS65 based on strike, but could easily pass for a business strike. Short of knowing the specific characteristics, I know of no sure way to tell. BTW - despite Marty's protestations, the right coin displays die polish in the right spots.

presleyh

If you look at the digits in the date especially the 9 you will see quite a bit of difference. The sms 9 appears to be flat and wide in contrast to the sharp and thin 9 on the business strike. This might not always be the case but on the 3 1965 sms sets that I have this is the case.

DHeath

Here's an early die state coin. The polish is easier to see inside the rim.

BillF

Well, after presleyh's post, it's obviuous Marty must be the one confused. The one on the right has the same '96' as the other SMS pics. The one on the left has a different (thicker) '96'.

Steve27

Marty, are you sure?

The left one has flat numbers/lettering, a poorer strike, and less rim/reeding detail than the right.