1966 Kennedy Half Dollar. SMS. Specimen-68 Cameo (PCGS).This is a beautiful Superb Gem, virtually perfect, as made, with brilliant and beautiful surfaces. The Special Mint Set coinage of 1965 to 1967 was offered in lieu of traditional Proof sets at a time when a nationwide shortage in circulation coinage was wrongly blamed on coin collectors. The SMS Kennedy half dollars of 1966 were struck once on unpolished planchets, the dies over polished in an effort to achieve a brilliant finish that approached (but did not equal that) of true Proof coinage. Due to this over polishing of the dies, cameo-finish examples such as this are in the minority of survivors. Additionally, these SMS coins can be difficult to locate in the finest grades since they were not spared coin-to-coin contact during the production process, again unlike true Proofs. With its combination of Superb-quality surfaces and a coveted Cameo designation, this impressive strike and condition rarity would serve as a highlight in the finest collection of modern U.S. Mint coinage.
