No Date Buffaloes

Thanks for the replies. I bought 150 no dates at my local coin shop for 10 cents a piece. About 20% with mintmarks.

"Thanks for the replies. I bought 150 no dates at my local coin shop for 10 cents a piece. About 20% with mintmarks."

Then you got a great deal Mr, merc. The melt value of these coins is between 7 and 9 cents each, depending on what souce is used. Also, one if the most thrilling things in acid dating is doing the mint marked ones. There are no good plain dates so the thrill isn't there as much. But doing coins that have a D or S mint mark can be exciting.

Many of the 1918's that have been acid dated look like they could be 1918/7. I got so excited many times. I was so sure of some of them that even ones with no mint marks were getting me excited. So I take 1918's cautiously.

Having said that, this one does seem to have potential. I would have an expert look at it closer in person.

I, on the other hand, am seriously considering purchasing some no-date buffalos and acid-restoring them. I think it'll be fun to restore them with my kids (making sure they stay far away from the acid!) and I won't lose money, since teen-dated buffalos with acid stains are selling for the same, or slightly more than, no-date buffalos.

mahgobbi, I think this would be a good idea especially if the kids like it. The acid that comes in nic-a-date does an excellent job of getting the dates out. It doesn't burn your hands or anything if it gets on them but do make sure that they wash their hands when they are done. (Disclaimer: Some might have bad reactions to it so do be careful with it). A bottle of nic-a-date costs $5-$6 and can restore well over 1000 nickels. One bottle should be enough and there are quite a few people who sell a bottle on ebay. Also, I always end up having quite a bit splashed on my shirt and it is very tough to wash out, so you might want everyone who deals with it to wear some worn clothes that can be throw aways when done. Also, have a bowl or two of water there so you can rinse the coins. The water will color quickly so you may need to change it every 20 coins or so.

just carl, waste is a relative term. I make a decent amount of money at my job as a computer geek and I make quite a bit on poker for extra, so if I "waste" a few dollars doing something that I enjoy, then it wasnt wasted. And kids would love this activity. There is a undercurrent of dislike for restored nickels and some dislike them to an unhealthy degree. I see it on most coin forums. I have even been called names just because I do it. One called me a fraud just for doing it. Nobody should let this dissuade them from doing something that has a lot of fun involved in it.

(Actualy I think there are several unhealthy hangups that many coin collectors have in general. It is a shame to see this but I ignore them and do what I wish. I am not here to please them.)

Edit: just carl, I came back and read this back to myself. I can see where it seems that I came across too negative to you. I did not mean to. I meant the business as a whole and not at you. I appologize that my internet skill are still lacking.

coinzzzzzz, if the coin is dateless to begin with, what difference does it make if it is tarnished?

Thats one way to do it and many that sell restores do it that way. I found that if you use a brush and put a drop of nic-a-date on the brush and then lightly stroke over the date area, you can get a date in 10-15 seconds. And if you do it quickly then there is very little stain. One of the big problems with ever finding anything worth is value is that usually when a coin has no date, the rest of the coin is pretty bad too. Which is probably why many dip the whole coin.