This is taken from this website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Collie
Funny how they have a clearer understanding than the
CCA!!!!! Tho they kinda screw up counting the colors.
Color
Smooth Collies come in four colours: 1)sable (Lassie's colour; can be
light gold to deep mahogany), 2) tricolor (black, with tan and white
markings), and 3) blue merle (silvery gray marbled with black, and tan
markings), all marked with white areas on the chest, neck, feet/legs,
and tail tip. An additional color is white (these Collies are
predominantly white, with heads and usually a body spot of sable, tri,
or blue color). The fourth color is sable merle, which is a light
stippled version of sable, sometimes (as with blue merle) accompanied
by blue or merled (parti-colored) eyes. Blue eyes or merled eyes in a
non-blue merle collie are not disqualifications in the AKC standard
although they are heavily penalized. There are, however, plenty of
blue-eyed or merled-eyed sable merle collies who are AKC breed
champions.
Color
The four recognized colors are “Sable and White,” “Tri-color,” “Blue Merle” and “White.” There is no preference among them. The “Sable and White” is predominantly sable (a fawn sable color of varying shades from light gold to dark mahogany) with white markings usually on the chest, neck, legs, feet and the tip of the tail. A blaze may appear on the foreface or backskull or both. The “Tri-color” is predominantly black, carrying white markings as in a “Sable and White” and has tan shadings on and about the head and legs. The “Blue Merle” is a mottled or “marbled” color predominantly blue-grey and black with white markings as in the “Sable and White” and usually has tan shadings as in the “Tri-color.” The “White” is predominantly white, preferably with sable, tri-color or blue merle markings.
In reading the standard and the judges committee’s explanation on judging the sable merle, they are to be considered sables, entered accordingly, and eye color penalized to the extent that it effects their expression. While this may not be acceptable to everyone, at least this discussion is bringing this issue to light again.