1967 United States Special Mint Set

1967 Special Mint Set

In 1967, collector dissatisfaction with the Special Mint Set revealed itself in a drop in sales of nearly 400,000 units. Collectors could simply not get used to the unusual SMS Finish, and they petitioned the Treasury continually to resume production of Proof Sets.

About the sets: All of the Special Mint Set coins were struck at San Francisco on old presses obtained from the Ordnance Department, but without an identifying mintmark.

Most 1967 SMS coins have a brilliant finish. Cameo surfaces are rare and Deep Cameo surfaces are extremely rare (the Cent may not exist as Deep Cameo). Some 1967 Special Mint Sets may contain a very rare Doubled Die Obverse Quarter (check "LIBERTY" and "IN GOD WE TRUST").

Each set contained five coins: Lincoln Cent, Jefferson Nickel, Roosevelt Dime, Washington Quarter, and Kennedy Half Dollar.

Mintage: 1,863,344 sets

Original packaging: The coins in Special Mint Sets were housed in a clear plastic holder made of two pieces that snapped together. Each coin was held in place by a raised ring of plastic. A thin sheet of blue plastic, with cutouts for each coin, provided a background. Each holder was placed into a cardboard slipcase.

America in 1967

Football's first Super Bowl was played at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs (the Green Bay Packers won 35 to 10).

The World in 1967

Dr. Christian Barnard of South Africa performed the first successful transplant of a human heart. Revolutionary Che Guevara was executed by Bolivian troops.