What's the Difference between Burnished and Satin

DieClash

finsh? Are these not synonymous? Or is there really a difference between the burnished die finish of the AE unc. 20th Anniversary sets and the so-called "Satin" finish of the U.S. Mint Uncirculated sets.

MrSpud

About $50

dlimb2

Burnished is polished. Yes they say the Uncs in the set are burnished...which is much different than the circulated.

DieClash

<< <i>Burnished is polished. >>



And are not the "Satin" finsh dies also polished? And the Proof dies are most certainly polished. Is there a difference between how the dies are polished to produce the "Burnished" feature versus the "Satin" finish. Or is this just semantics?

This is a serious inquiry. I'd really like to know if there is an actual difference in the minting process or if these terms are used synonymously. There is no "book" on this, so I rely upon the experts who post on these boards. Thanks much!

dlimb2

They are done with different minting processes....That is all I can tell you...they look very different from on another.

cladking

Burnished apparently has a few different meaning dependent on the mint but they've
been using to describe a polishing process for planchets where they are rolled with small
steel beads. The satin finish is imparted by chromium plated dies. This plating reduces
die wear and imparts a different look to the coins.

Some of the planchets struck by SF mint set dies are most probably burnished as they have
been in the past.

DieClash

<< <i>...they look very different from on another. >>



Do you have any pics that might compare a burnished piece to a satin piece that would contrast the differences between the two surfaces? Unfortunately the only "burnished" piece in my collection is a 2000 Golden dollar from a Millenium set and it looks like crap. I do however have many "satin" finished specimens of SAE's and last year's U.S. Mint sets.

thanks!

Gemineye

To the Mint, "burnishing" means that the unstruck
planchets were placed into a drum containing tiny metal
pellets along with a liquid medium. This entire mixture was
then tumbled. The blank planchets were scoured of any surface
contaminants during this operation. They were also thoroughly
pockmarked by the rough contact with the tiny metal "BB's"
being used. This type of roughened surface increases metal
flow during the striking operation, producing a
better-finished product. Modern Proof blanks are also
routinely subjected to a pre-strike burnishing.
Obviously, if any of the Goodacre or Millennium Sacagawea
dollars had been "post-strike burnished" as had been claimed
at one time, the resulting coins would have been severely
damaged. Rather than improving their appearance, these pieces
would have emerged from the burnishing drums covered with
dings and marks, exhibiting little or no luster, giving the
appearance of a damaged, circulated coin.
Copied text from coinworld article

dlimb2

Well the 2000 golden dollar is burnished...and an Unc Silver eagle is satin.

DieClash

<< <i>
Obviously, if any of the Goodacre or Millennium Sacagawea
dollars had been "post-strike burnished" as had been claimed
at one time, the resulting coins would have been severely
damaged. Rather than improving their appearance, these pieces
would have emerged from the burnishing drums covered with
dings and marks, exhibiting little or no luster, giving the
appearance of a damaged, circulated coin.
Copied text from coinworld article >>



And I am copying your copy of the CW text. Attribution is duly recoginized. You don't suppose this is copyright infringement? Let's not go there!

Anyway this is an excellent description of what may very well have happened to my poor 2000 Millenium Sac. I subscribe to CW and I don't remeber this article, but that's beside the point. My question is was there proof of the so called "post-strike burnished" phenomena and how prevalent was it?

Thanks for the most informative reply BTW!

DieClash

Looking for more expert analysis. Comments anyone?