NGC Offers New Attribution for Coins from 1965-1967 Special Mint Sets

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) is offering a new attribution — “Struck at San Francisco Mint” — to distinguish coins of the 1965, 1966 and 1967 Special Mint Sets. These sets were struck exclusively at the San Francisco Assay Office, which later became the San Francisco Mint, and were produced specifically for collectors.

1965(S) SMS 50 Cents with the new NGC attribution Struck at San Francisco Mint. Click image to enlarge.

In 1964, the US Mint announced it would cease creating Proof and Mint sets due to a nationwide coin shortage. Collectors were disappointed by the decision, so the San Francisco Assay Office produced a Special Mint Set, starting in 1966 with coins dated 1965 and continuing through 1967. The innovative process used to produce these coins resulted in a look that is a cross between Uncirculated and Proof finishes .

Unlike Proof coins, which are struck twice on polished planchets, the Special Mint Set coins were struck once on unpolished planchets by coin dies that were overpolished. Overpolishing created a brilliant Prooflike effect, but at the expense of some design details. By 1967, the dies were no longer being overpolished, with the coins from this year generally approaching the quality of true Proof issues .

The NGC “Struck at San Francisco Mint” attribution is available for select bulk submissions. For more information, contact Scott Heller at Sheller@NGCcoin.com or 941-360-3990 or Miles Standish at Miles@NGCcoin.com or 949-922-0515.

Related Link:

• United States Special Mint Set Coins