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CaptainFwiffo
Pillar Of The Community
United States
3903 Posts
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While roll hunting nickels from the bank recently, I've been surprised at the number of Buffalo nickels I've found. I was wondering just how cheaply I could put together a set. So I decided to give myself a challenge: put together a set (excluding the rare doubled-die, overdate, 3-legged, etc. varieties) for a net investment less than the cost of the album holding them.
A Dansco 7112 album lists at $21.95 retail. By my count, there are 64 coins needed to complete the set. That allows a budget of about 34¢ per coin.
I'll take whatever coins I can get, in any condition, with any kind of damage, so long as it's authentic and the date/mint can be determined with certainty. Between hunting bank rolls, trading, bargain hunting, picking through culls, restoring dates, etc. will it be possible? If so, will it be the ugliest herd of buffaloes ever seen?
I will keep track of my progress here. I'll be be alternating between over and under budget as I turn over lots of coins, selling and trading the ones I don't need. Hopefully I'll restore the dates on enough keys to keep me ahead of the game.
Collected so far:
1919 (CRH, partial date with last two digits clear)
1930 (CRH)
1936 (CRH)
4.7% complete
Sourced coins:
5 CRH Buffalo Nickels ($0.25)
107 Dateless Buffalo Nickels lot from eBay ($18.95 incl. shipping)
Surplus:
1936x2 (CRH)
Supplies:
Dansco 7112 Album ($21.95 - not counted toward total)
946 ML White Vinegar, 5% acidity ($1.19)
Total invested: $20.39 - $0.10 = $20.29 ($1.66 under budget)
Any surplus nickels that I haven't sold or otherwise gotten rid of will count as -5¢ against the total investment. Worst case scenario if I can't trade them or sell them on eBay, I could spend them or roll them up and take them to the bank and get face value out of them. (I won't actually be turning them into the bank - it's an exercise in frugality, not sillyness).
Update: Here are some images of the collection so far (just nickels found hunting bank rolls), and a closeup of the 1919 so you can see the partial date. Probably these will be the nicest of the set.
Edited by CaptainFwiffo
06/21/2011 11:16 pm
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
687 Posts |
Ooh, I'm bookmarking this thread. Looks like fun!
I've been trying to build a complete set (minus varieties) for under $2 a coin without acid dates, but I think your task might be harder. I've found 3 of the (semi)keys: 13D T2, 14D and 21S for under $1 each. The 14D is PR2 on a good day but the other two are in the G/VG range.
Good luck to you - make sure you post pictures!
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Valued Member
United States
292 Posts |
This sounds like a fun project and just the kind of thing I like to do. Good luck...hope to see some pics as the collection progresses!
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
737 Posts |
Great idea! Definitely keep us posted!
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
912 Posts |
I like it too. Looking forward to see how it progresses and some pics.
Law of Logical Argument:
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3294 Posts |
I think it is very possible if you don't mind acid dating coins, have a good supply, and don't count the ones that aren't a date you need in the cost.
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Valued Member
United States
480 Posts |
I did one as cheap as I could and it ran me about $150. I didn't have anything to trade and didn't have any blank ones to restore. I did buy acid treated ones to fill about 10 spots. 13s T2 was the worst at $30+ even for acid treated. But I finished it minus the three legged and 8/7.
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2375 Posts |
Wow 34 cents a coin is tough, but you can get lots of dateless coins for 20-30 cents apiece and probably fill most of the teens and 20s with restored dates that way. Your toughest to fill might be 26S and 31S, which are past the years usually requiring acid restoration. Some dateless lots will have partial date 20s and 30s in them, so I can see you filling 50 coins or maybe a few more for under 34 cents a piece.
The 26S and 31S will be the killer though- it's never in dateless lots (because it wasn't in circulation long enough) and most bulk lots have picked clean the 26S and 31S. 38D is often picked out even though it's a common date
Collect all US coins, especially Indian cents and Buffalo nickels
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Quote:
Between hunting bank rolls, trading, bargain hunting, picking through culls, restoring dates, etc. will it be possible? If so, will it be the ugliest herd of buffaloes ever seen?
Yes to both.
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
2016 Posts |
Between box searching & help from members here, mine was completed this past winter. Put together more for the grandkids enjoyment,
they're in 2x2's rather than an album. Absolutely no problem that some are restored. The only thing that might be considered "ugly"
is the cardboard on the holders, being dog-eared, smudged, worn, etc. But there's beauty in that also, as it demonstrates the appreciation and wonder that hopefully will lead to they're future interest in numismatics.
Edited by fioti
06/21/2011 10:24 am
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Pillar Of The Community
Australia
6480 Posts |
The cheapest way of collecting is just take one of each coin of type and date from circulation as they are newly issued, and in the best condition possible, and give them to your grandchildren.
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3903 Posts |
I'm thinking I might be able to get ones like the '26S or '31S with some savvy trading of other coins I've found while roll searching. Maybe a holed '26S could be had in trade for one or two silver Jeffersons. I get those out of bank rolls, so they only cost me a nickel.
On the other hand, I won't be saving up a roll of silver halves to sell and use the money to buy a 13S T2 - that would be really getting out of the spirit of the challenge.
I was able to get my first lot of dateless on eBay for about 17.7¢ per coin (including shipping). I missed another lot that went for a little 15¢ per coin, but most of the others I've seen have been in the 20-40¢ range or higher. I think if I'm patient, and hold out for the ugliest ones, I can mostly keep it around 15¢ apiece or less for dateless.
If it gets to be too terribly tough, I might change my budget to the cost of the album plus slipcase, or exclude the cost of supplies like vinegar and nic-a-date.
Edited by CaptainFwiffo
06/21/2011 11:55 am
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Valued Member
United States
221 Posts |
This is an excellent project! I will be monitoring your progress... I love these kinds of ragpicking projects!  |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
874 Posts |
well, let's say you buy a bag of dateless, acid treat them and then sell off duplicates and apply that money to your album, I think this is remotely doable (and certainly a lot of fun to try!!)
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3903 Posts |
By request, I've added some pictures to the original post. More to come as I get more coins.
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
3903 Posts |
After trying out both vinegar and vinegar+salt for three days on some old Jeffersons, I decided I do not have the patience for it. They show hardly change at all; they haven't even been dulled appreciably. I ordered some Nic-A-Date, and they sent me a free dateless Buffalo to try it out on along with a nice note saying that it's probably a 1913. It's a type I, so I'm not going to bother restoring the date. At least I'm pretty sure - I don't have any type II this worn to compare it to yet.
They used a bunch of old commemorative plate blocks for postage. I guess philately is kinda depressed right now and a lot of stamps are worth less than face.
I also decided it was too extreme to count supplies like vinegar and Nic-a-Date toward the total, which basically reduces my budget by a third or half. I'll still try to be frugal with them, however.
Collected so far:
1913 Type I (Freebie!)
1919 (CRH, partial date with last two digits clear)
1930 (CRH)
1936 (CRH)
6.3% complete
Sourced coins:
5 CRH Buffalo Nickels ($0.25)
1 included with Nic-A-Date (FREE)
107 Dateless Buffalo Nickels lot from eBay ($18.95 incl. shipping)
Surplus:
1936x2 (CRH)
Supplies (not counted toward total):
Dansco 7112 Album ($21.95)
946 ML White Vinegar, 5% acidity ($1.19)
Nic-A-Date ($7.49 incl. shipping)
Total invested: $19.20 - $0.10 = $19.10 ($2.75 under budget)
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Posted 06/21/2011 12:01 am
