Satin finish, die variety?

[mojaveblue]

I have been wondering how satin finish lincolns come about, is it an intentional die variation? Or a different lubricant or different blank?

[jfines69]

That is a really good question... It could be that the planchets are manufactured that way??? I wonder what the pros will say???!!!
Jim

[eagames]

Not sure if there's anything different.

They say the satin ones are from mint sets.

But.... My friends send a lot of modern coins for gradings and they are not mint set coins. They are nice coins they found in rolls and almost all of the cents and nickels they get graded come back labeled satin finish. That makes me think that either all buss dies start out that way and they use new dies for mint sets or only some start that way and then they get used for normal buss strikes.
So I don't know the facts behind it but many normal coins you get in rolls seem to be satin.

[Dick]

I don't really know for sure, but I have gotten coins that were<"supposedly" satin finish, and Personally don't like them, because the surface of the coin is so messed up it looks like a very fine mesh. I can't dertect RPM's, or any other anomily, that we normally look for. It is bad for finding trail dies
I think it might be, (and this is conjecture, at best), that the planchets are submitted to a fine sand blasting, that 'ruffles the surface, withour wearing away any of the metal, or something similar. It might be a minor type of "B-B's" that they use, likt the others ised for 'frosting the proofs. Just a thought, nothing more.

[ken]

Here's what PCGS says about satin coins
"satin finish
Another of the experimental Proof surfaces used on U.S. gold coins after 1907. The dies were treated in some manner to create the silky surfaces imparted to the coins.I guess this would apply to the modern coins also.Planchet treated in some manner.

satin luster
Fine, silky luster seen on many business strike coins, especially copper and nickel issues. Almost no “cartwheel” effect is seen on coins with this type of luster".
I think they have also stopped making the satin finish coins.

[jfines69]

Since the mint is suppose to not want people to collect business coins it may have been a test to see how well satin finish covered up errors and varieties???!!!
Jim

[coppercoins]

I believe all of these answers are correct to a certain extent, but none of them are completely correct.

To answer the initial question, satin finish mint set coins are a variety - not a die variety or an error. They are intended to be different from the business strike coins in the years they were minted. Intentional differences caused knowingly by the mint are 'varieties' - both 'die varieties' and 'errors' are unintentional.

The mint does have specific treatment to modern mint set dies that strike up coins with satin finish surfaces. There are also business strike dies (they could be the same dies as the mint set dies) that strike up coins with satin-like finish. This could be the dies that are just newly hubbed and unpolished, or like I said earlier, they could be the mint set dies turned over to business strike minting.

The thing is, there is little if any difference between the mint set coins and the business strike coins that were especially nicely struck with new dies that have the satin like appearance...so the grading companies have to grade the result, not the cause (because often the cause is unknown).

The satin finish of years back (1907-1936) was a specific treatment to proof dies that gave the fields a mottled effect that was actually quite attractive. Satin proof cents are easy to detect from business strike coins because of the sharpness of detail and the square, sharp rims. The dies were different, the striking method was different. Because of this, there is no real comparison between these 'satin' coins and the 'satin' coins of today other than the name itself.

[coppercoins]

Oh...one more thing to add...

The only year in which I do believe it is much easier to tell the satin finish mint set coins from the business strike coins is 2009. The mint set coins were minted on brass (3.11g) planchets while all of the business strike coins were minted on copper plated zinc (2.5g) planchets.

[mojaveblue]

Thanks Chuck, the idea that the mint would turn over the satin dies to business striking would explain how some recent 2005 and newer cents look much different. I find in my roll searches some cents that are like little mirrors, extremely bright and shiny, and others that have no reflective properties. I assumed that was what people referred to as "Satin Finish".
I have mixed feelings between the two, some "Satin" are very nice, but I think I can really appreciate the lack of blemishes on shiny coins.
I had been thinking of separating the two types during my searches, since some price guides list them separately also.

Excellent information above!