Hi Becky, When "new" dies are "cut" at least for Silver Strikes evidently they are not highly polished so the finished product will tend to have a "frosted" look to it. As the die gets "worn in" (burnished)(or polished if you like) it starts to put a "sheen" on the strike just as it would if had been highly polished to begin with. I have had technical experience in the past with various metals (not silver strikes) with the same results. I presume this is the reason for the differences in the case of silver strikes. As for different values of the strikes, depending on the "original" hardness of the dies it is possible for the "burnishing" effect to take place at a faster rate thereby producing a lower number of "frosted" strikes and some may choose to charge a "premium" for this lower number.........Dick Maheu in New Mexico