razincows Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Members 1 posts 0 warning points Posted Yesterday, 04:16 PM I am new to coin collecting and I recently purchased a Kennedy half from eBay that was advertised as follows. Kennedy Half Dollar 1998-S SMS Silver NGC SP69 Mintage 62,000 hd 153 The picture showed a Kennedy Half but not the slab details. When I received the coin there is not an SMS designation on it. It says 1998-S SP69. I called NGC and spoke with one of their customer service reps and she looked up the coin and told me that coin is a SPECIMEN coin and NOT an SMS coin and was not represented properly. I disputed my purchase and the seller has written me back that basically the coin is represented properly and is correct. His response is below. This is a Specimen 69 SMS Special Matte Specimen. There is no other coin with this matte surface. There is no such thing as a Special Mint Set for this year or any year since 1967. NGC knows SMS as Special Mint Set from the 1960's. This coin is in the Red Book as a matte proof and has a mintage of 62,000. In 1998 there were 2 silver proofs, one in the regular mirror finish and the other was a matte proof in the Kennedy set with the Robert Kennedy silver dollar. See this link to another ebay item for clarification.http://www.ebay.com/...=item20ffef10c7 I'm not sure what coin you are wanting, but if you don't want the matte proof, please return it. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art1.2 Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 In 1998 the US Mint issued a special set with the Robert Kennedy Half Dollar. The coin was created with a Matte finish and carries the designation of Specimen and thus when graded is marked as SP-69, SP-67, etc. The mintage is quite low and this particular piece is a semi-key item if you want to collect the entire Kennedy Half Proof collection. Since it is a Specimen piece and not made for circulation, it is included in sets with the Proof issues. There were no Special Mint Sets issued in 1998. Thus really no coins that carry the SMS designation for that year. Only you can decide if you are happy with your purchase. Depending upon grade you can check ebay for relative pricing. NGC has a website that allows you to enter the certification number and receive a description (and sometimes a picture) of the coin to verify it is genuine. Sorry but that's about all I can tell you about it. If you want more info, let me know and I'll give you links to some websites that discuss this coin in detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razincows Posted August 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks for the response. I wasn't sure what to think about it due to my conversation with NGC but I'm now comfortable knowing I have a fair deal. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art1.2 Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 I'm glad that I could help. I'll delete your other post as this is answered here. Hang in there and enjoy your collecting. Please feel free to ask any questions. We can usually come up with an answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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