Do all 40% silver Ikes have the "s" Mintmark? When you look at the rims are they a solid silver color or are they striped like today's clad quarters, dimes, etc.? I note that some 40% silver Kennedys show some copper when you look at the rim....is it the same with some Ikes? Thanks.
I cracked out a bicentennial 40% 3 piece set a few months back, and i believe you can see a little copper on the edge.
They're supposed to have it but there are also S minted cu/ ni clad coins. The inside of the 40% silver coins have silver in the alloy and the 80% silver cladding can get smeared over the geyer core making it difficult to see it. To me the silver ones look silver but you can always use the tissue test or something.
The ikes are just like the late 60's halves. They are clad, so looking at the edge will not help. They will tone an unusual color, so either learn what that looks like or what pure silver surfaces look like is the easiest way.
All the 40% silver Ike's have the S mint mark. You have the mint state and proof state Ike's from 71, 72, 73, 74, and 76. In 73 and 74, you also had clad proof S's. In 76, you have clad proof S's (Variety 1 and 2). The 40% silver Ike's will weigh 24.6 grams while the clad proof Ike's will weigh only 22.7 grams. I can also tell the difference on my Ike's by looking on the edge. The 40% silver coins are silver while the clad coins have show some copper color.
With a little practice you will be able to tell the difference in surface color between the 40% silver coins and the copper-nickel clads. In addition, the copper ring, which is visible on both, tends to be a blacker color on the 40% coins. This is because even the copper interior contains some silver.
Okay, I couldn't stand it, so I stood up three impaired Ike silver proofs with three circulated clads and took a picture. The one at the top shows the bronze-colored layer I've come to associate with clean 40% coins; the second two look much more like pure silver than I expected. There's a nick on the top one that shows some copper-colored metal, the first time I've seen that effect, but it's hard to make out here. I'll see if I can find the one that was apparently silver-plated at some point. It looks sort of like the bronze-ish layer in the top one, only all over.
