The Story of the 1968S Mint Facility with Coin Dies and Collars.
Private
Updated:
7/10/2020
Views: 1,145
SAN FRANCISCO MINT FACTS:
The story of the 1968 San Francisco Mint actually begins in the year of 1854:
The first San Francisco Mint was established in 1854 to support the California Gold Rush. The second mint, the Granite Lady, was put into operation in 1874 and survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Needing additional space and a severe upgrade, the third and present facility, which occupies a whole city block, began operation in 1937. The last time San Francisco minted coins for public use was in 1955. In 1962, Congress revised the San Francisco facility from Mint Status to Assay Office.
Due to a severe nation wide coin shortage, San Francisco resumed minting coins in 1966 and minted the no mintmark coins from 1965 to 1967 to include the Special Mint sets.
The San Francisco facility was re-designated from Assay Office to Mint status in 1988.
PRODUCTION CHANGES IN 1968:
Nineteen Sixty-Eight proved to be a pivotal year. All of the Proof Set coining operation was moved from the Philadelphia Mint to the San Francisco Facility. In addition to the Proof Sets, the San Francisco location minted cents for commercial use from 1968-1974, nickels for commercial use from 1968-1970 and since 1975, this facility has been used exclusively for minting proof/collector coinage, with the exception of the commercial grade “S” minted Susan B. Anthony Dollars from 1979-1981. The facility also minted coins for other foreign governments.
CHANGE IN PROOF SETS:
The 1968 Proof Sets also experienced a change in the packaging of the sets from Mylar envelope encased coins to a boxed die-cast plastic case. The quality of the proof coinage was also enhanced due to upgrades in the manufacturing process as well as process improvement applications.
SETUP OF THIS COLLECTION:
This Proof Set contains only five coins, but each coin is pictured with the appropriate Coin Die and Collar that was used to manufacture that particular denomination of coin:
The Obverse picture of the certified proof coins will be accompanied with the appropriate Obverse Proof Coin Die and will picture the obverse side of the appropriate sized coin collar.
The Reverse picture of the certified proof coins will be accompanied with the appropriate Reverse Proof Coin Die and will picture the reverse (ejection) side of the appropriate coin collar. Note how the milled cone shape, in the center of the collar, allows for the anvil reverse die to set into the collar. The reverse die is operated by a mechanical cam, which pushes the die upwards into the collar in order to eject the coin then lowers the die so that the feed and ejection fingers can deposit a Planchet back into the collar.
Some sections contain pictures of dies that were used to manufacture pre-68, 68S and Foreign coins for circulation along with examples of the dual press coin dies. It is neat to compare the reverse sides of the single press coin collar with the dual press coin collar.
Some of the dies shown will have various amounts of coin details remaining after puddling. The term “Puddling” is what the mint workers call defacing the dies using the acetylene torch method. This puddling technique is what makes these dies unique when compared to the current method of grinding the coin features away.
Each 1968S Proof Coin Die has a serial number preceded by the letter “S” and ending with the letter “P”. The letter “S” means the die will be used to strike coins in San Francisco and the letter “P” means the die will be used to strike Proof Coins. Coins made for circulation at the San Francisco Mint, in 1968, will not have the “P” letter but will have the “S” letter preceding the serial number.
HISTORY OF THE COIN DIES:
In January of 1969, the United States Mint, thru the General Services Administration, sold mutilated dies and other SF mint scrap to a local west coast scrap dealer who in turn sold the mutilated coin dies to a local coin dealer who in turn sold some of the dies to other dealers throughout the United States. One of these dealers placed an advertisement, into the January 3rd 1973 issue of Coin World, for the sale of a quantity of 1968S Proof Coin Dies. (The advertisement quoted a sale of approx 3000 dies of which only 2000 were Proof Dies). The Treasury Department, on several occasions, investigated the sale of these dies and concluded, “each of them had been defaced and destroyed” to the point of making them unusable for stamping coins. “The private possession of them would not be of any threat to the Treasury’s responsible interest in the matter”.
These 1968S Proof and Business Coin Dies and Collars occasionally popup for sale within the numismatic community, and still remain a very intriguing, curious and desired item. One could only imagine that if the accompanying coin die and collar actually struck that encapsulated coin that is pictured with them.
Read more...
The Story of the 1968S Mint Facility with Coin Dies and Collars.
By BoneHead
Owner Comments:
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The NGC Registry is not endorsed by or associated with PCGS or CAC. PCGS is a registered trademark of Collectors Universe, Inc. CAC is a trademark of Certified Acceptance Corporation.
Add Coin
Join NGC for free to add coins, track your collection and participate in the NGC Registry. Learn more >
Join NGC
Already a member? Sign In
The NGC Registry is not endorsed by or associated with PCGS or CAC. PCGS is a registered trademark of Collectors Universe, Inc. CAC is a trademark of Certified Acceptance Corporation.
There is never any charge to contact us. To reach a customer service representative, call, text or WhatsApp (+1) 855-472-3310 or use this form.
