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 Replies: 88 / Views: 5,296 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
It appears you used a regular light bulb and unfortunately, your image is entirely too small to make any kind of guess.
I hope you have macro ( usually an icon that looks like a flower ) on you camera settings for close ups and try to take an over head photo in daylight but not with sun glare hitting the coin.
Try using the 2 second shutter delay and hold the camera still when focused.
If you can't manipulate the image in a photoshop like program, send it to me and I'll do what I can. PM me first and then we can exchange email through that.
Edited by TNG
03/14/2009 10:46 pm
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Valued Member
United States
248 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2224 Posts |
I could be wrong, and wheezy, if I am please correct me, but that really looks to be a business strike to me. Metal flow is usually not obvious on a Proof. That being said, we all would like to hope that is a business strike if it does have full steps (I looked up the value!) Unfortunately, I see that gash on the cheek. Based on the portion of the coin that I can see, I'd say MS63, maybe 64.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Nice nickel, but still inconclusive, I did what I could with your images to get a better look. The reverse looks more like a proof or proof-like to me. The steps are straight and sharp but I did all I could to look them over. The area in front of Jefferson's eye looks funny, maybe it is reflection. Those two nicks on the face of Jefferson are unfortunate but I am not going to jump off a bridge over them. The obverse looks like a BU 1953. Here is my feeling, I tend to lean 65% it is a proof and 35% it is an unusual find of a business strike 1953.Put an S or even a D to the right of the Monticello and you would have a super rarity even with the few contact marks and wear.   Edited by TNG
03/15/2009 11:40 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Ho ho ho CND, I was in the photo project and you were posting. They were huge images huh? I see the metal flow as well, but the reverse is a poorer image so it's hard to say and that looks very nice and flat and smooth with FIVE CENTS looking pretty good as well as the shape of the steps.
Maybe it was a proof reverse die? It is a keeper in my book though. Not your everyday nickel is it?
Wish we had some really good pictures.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2589 Posts |
With early jeffersons it can be hard to tell the difference between impaired proofs and business strikes, any patches of extreme reflectivity would probably be key in determining which it is and its often hard to tell from pictures. I would suggest bringing it to a dealer and asking him if you know of one nearby or submitting it to ANACS.
-XoG
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Valued Member
 United States
357 Posts |
Well I finished my box of nickels and found a 192? buffalo and a very nice 43-s and the usual 30's -60's nickels for my Whitman book. That 53 looks to be a UNC very nice indeed.
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Valued Member
United States
248 Posts |
Hey guys I really need to apologize for how unclear I've been. This is indeed a 1953D and Yeah I didn't realize the extent of those two marks on the obverse so maybe I exaggerated. BUT here's my excuse, I've been on vikatan from my surgery! Really thanks so much you guys for all your amazing help and you Wheezydog for the editing, patience etc. I will try and improve my photo-taking skills and I'll post it when I get an acceptable picture. So it's better that it's a D?
-thanks you guys so much, I guess I'm really bad at this!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Yes in my opinion it is better to have that strike quality as a Denver nickel than a Philly. An S mint mark would really be somewhat rare as the 1953 S is maybe the most difficult nickel to find with more than a step or two showing at best. It appears you probably have an unusually well struck AU 55 to AU 58 1953 D and it might grade better or worse. Lighting may exaggerate the two contact marks but the steps make up for them. To me, it would be a good catch and I am very fussy when it comes to nickels. As far as value goes, I would need much better images but so far ... nice catch! No way can it be a proof as there are no mint marks on proof nickels in the 1950's. Please get us some excellent images. It probably would be a good idea. Try outdoor shots, with macro and no direct sunlight from directly overhead and use a tripod with delayed shutter. Edited by TNG
03/15/2009 6:59 pm
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Valued Member
United States
248 Posts |
Ok, well a few dozen photos later here are my results. I still don't get why it doesn't emphasize the full steps as much as a loop does (there is gap in the middle but it really is exaggerated because I can see them under a loop, not extremely defined but they're there!). Also with these photos, I've noticed a lot more nicks and scratches on the reverse as well as some what look to be blotches? And I looked at the prices on PCGS..........DANG IT! a regular 53 would have brought in some major bucks, oh well. Thanks again for all your help on this coin, I'm picking up some more boxes of nickels tomorrow and i'll post my findings, we need to get this thread going! PS-trust me it's got all the steps, it sounds stupid to take my word over the photo, but..........umm I guess there's nothing else to say :) For it to be FS, do the steps have to be extremely defined, or just able to be seen with close examination? http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8350/img1088l.jpghttp://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7060/img1106m.jpg |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Here's a little known or rarely mentioned tip on uncirculated nickels. Look at the flat surface of the rim of your nickel. There will be thousands of small straight lines on the rim going vertical from heads to tails and they are extremely light. These come from the planchet punching process since nickels are a hard composition of metals. If you have a nickel that you are absolutely sure it is an unc, you will see these lines under a loop. In circulation, these lines disappear quickly, yet your nickel may still look very much uncirculated on the obverse and reverse. ( Much like yours appears now. ) I would guess your nickel, if you compare it with a true uncirculated specimen will have lost some if not all of these tiny straight punch lines already. Your nickel looks like it might also have just the slightest bit of wear on the jaw cheekbone eyebrow and below the collar on his coat. On the reverse just the very slightest hint of wear around the rim and maybe on the base of the triangle roof. This might only be contact from the mint bag. I think that if it were submitted for a grade, you would get a MS 63 or maybe MS 64 out of it with only 3 or 4 full steps at best. Never-the-less, it is a real keeper if I ran across it. Hard to grade not in hand. I'm not schitzo but on the other hand ... If it has those lines on the surface of the rim and with those steps, I would guess somebody might fork out $15 to $25 for it on ebay. Yes a 1953 and a 1953S like this would be a real super duper find yet this is still unusual. Good for you! Greatly improved pictures and please show us more of your other finds. |
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Valued Member
United States
357 Posts |
Do you mind if I call you DR Wheezydog PHD. I would have never thought to look at the rim of a coin I guess I am going to start examining the edges.  Thanks for the heads up. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Oh and I would think of step count as Full Steps plus partial.
Full steps meaning bold and unbroken from one end to the other.
This should be clear to any examiner without having to turn the coin in light or squint or use high power magnification.
The FULL STEPS are not questionable .
There is a system for step count but that is different. It goes by columns.
But even then describing steps, You would have for example 3 "full steps" and 1.25 partial steps.
Which would give you a step count of 4.25 but it's still only a Full 3 step nickel. You round down to the step count and not up when counting.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
LOL thanks for the compliment, but I learned this stuff from the original members of PAK and sat many hours with Adolf Weiss, one of the founders. ( where are you Adolf? ) I learned everything I know from somebody else. And they might be wrong? So might I. Quote:
Do you mind if I call you DR Wheezydog PHD. Also I'd prefer to be a Gynocologist but that ain't gonna happen!  Edited by TNG
03/17/2009 10:31 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4113 Posts |
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Replies: 88 / Views: 5,296 |
First Page
Posted 03/14/2009 11:55 pm
1950DJeffersonObverse.jpg
1950DJeffersonReverse.jpg
1950DJeffersonMintMark.jpg
