1965 SMS Kennedy Half Dollar Die Breaks Or No Die Breaks ?
Franklin_Fan
Posts: 89 ✭✭✭
I opened up about 30 1965 SMS sealed envelope sets, and found these 2 Half dollars that I am not sure would be considered Die Breaks. The one is Kennedy's ear and the other is on the eagles wing, looking at coin right wing.
Any opinions, would like to hear them. They are 2 different coins.
1
Comments
The ear appears to be a cut. Hard to tell with the wing.
They look like hits to me. Post Mint Damage.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
It's the rare Van Gogh JFK.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
@Franklin_Fan
Classic hard hit (the obverse) by the reeded edge of another coin imo.
The distance in the deeper gouges is consistent with the distance between the reeds on those coins.
Here is a zoom of a mint state coin that I've got that has very, very similar damage...
.
In just about the same exact spot!! Crazy!!
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Since the OP’s coin is from an SMS set would it still be thrown in with other coins?
- Bob -
MPL's - Lincolns of Color
Central Valley Roosevelts
neither are die breaks. both are contact marks
Yes. SMS coins were treated more gently but they stiff suffered lots of collisions. Most of them were the clinking that leaves little tiny marks but if a coin comes down right on a soft spot it can cause more damage, The ear is about the highest spot on the coin so it's a common place for such damage. Later mint set coins were tumbled in a device like a cement mixer with ground corn cobs for drying but coins could take a beating. I don't think they did this with most of the SMS but marking is not in the least unusual.
Thanks for all the feed back, it is crazy the 65 and the 67 almost exact damage.
A die break would be raised not indented
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Just bag marks, or perhaps hopper marks from contact with other coins in the hopper that the coin press emptied into.