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50 Nickel Boxes Searched: A Retrospective

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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/12/2025  4:00 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
I just hit 50 nickel boxes searched.

50-Nickel-Boxes-Searched:-A-Retrospective

These are my results. Here are some general observations:

- Four of five of my key dates found came in the first 20 boxes. Truly, they are few and far between.

- Based solely on vibes, I expect to find one Buffalo and one War Nickel per box.

- I feel like I've gotten very lucky in finding V nickels.

- In terms of most finds per box, all categories came from a SINGLE box, expect War Nickels, of whose record I broke today. Previously it was 2.

- I have also pulled roughly half a roll of 2009-P & D, and 2024-P & D.

- Nickels ARE AN ABSOLUTE JOY to search.

I have three nickels left before I've pulled the complete set from circulation: 1938-S, 1944-S, 1945-S. I am not expecting to finish the set before I hit 100 boxes searched.

Enjoy!




Edited by J the Apostate
10/12/2025 4:34 pm
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ijn1944's Avatar
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 Posted 10/12/2025  5:27 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add ijn1944 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Nice summary! I was heavy into nickels a few years ago, I may need to get back into the game.
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Errers and Varietys's Avatar
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 Posted 10/12/2025  7:35 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Errers and Varietys to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Nice results. I don't know if you're into collecting errors and varieties, but if you are, I'd look for those too. There's tons of Doubled Dies known for the modern Nickels.
Errers and Varietys.
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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/12/2025  9:57 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I don't really look for errors or varieties, time is pretty tight in the balance of work/life and CRH, but I do keep an eye out for the Speared Bison and 1975 High D.

Thank you!
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nickelsearcher's Avatar
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 Posted 10/13/2025  07:09 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nickelsearcher to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Nice summary and congratulations on your CRH success so far. You are indeed well ahead of the expected find rate curve, especially on V nickels.

I joined the CCF during my quest to complete the entire series from local bank rolls, and also kept detailed stats on my finds.

If interested - you can read my find rate summary at set completion here:

https://goccf.com/t/198187
Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art
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jbuck's Avatar
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Spence's Avatar
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 Posted 10/13/2025  3:40 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Spence to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I feel like I've gotten very lucky in finding V nickels.


100% agree. Maybe you stumbled upon someone's collection dump.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
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"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 10/13/2025  4:59 pm  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
An excellent summary, thanks for sharing. Good luck on the final key dates! =)
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-makecents-'s Avatar
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 Posted 10/13/2025  9:34 pm  Show Profile   Check -makecents-'s eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add -makecents- to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Nice job on your finds and better on keeping track, I have never taken time to do that....
-makecents-
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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  09:17 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Nice summary! I was heavy into nickels a few years ago, I may need to get back into the game.


You should! Good luck. I'll likely take a long break after I finish the set.
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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  09:20 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Nice summary and congratulations on your CRH success so far. You are indeed well ahead of the expected find rate curve, especially on V nickels.

I joined the CCF during my quest to complete the entire series from local bank rolls, and also kept detailed stats on my finds.

If interested - you can read my find rate summary at set completion here:


I rather expected that I was far ahead of the curve, and I had the inkling when I found four key dates seemingly right off the bat. I listed finding them within the first 20 boxes, but I suspect it was actually closer to the first 10 to 15 boxes. I decided to be conservative in the estimate however due to being unsure.

I actually read through your summary of finds before I even registered an account here. Great job! I could never go into that level of detail though, too time consuming. I do salute you for it though. I would say that I find 1-3 38/39's in every box.
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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  09:22 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
100% agree. Maybe you stumbled upon someone's collection dump.


It's certainly possible, but I have the feeling that I just don't have many competitors in my area when it comes to nickels.
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  11:42 am  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I do feel compelled to put in a good word for my favorite varieties to search. If your nickel mix is rich in current 2006+ nickels from Philadelphia (not Denver), then searching for the minor DDRs is easy and productive. I average about 1-3 per $20FV (400 nickels).
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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  12:12 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I do feel compelled to put in a good word for my favorite varieties to search. If your nickel mix is rich in current 2006+ nickels from Philadelphia (not Denver), then searching for the minor DDRs is easy and productive. I average about 1-3 per $20FV (400 nickels)


I don't want to sound like a jerk, but is there a point to it? Are they valuable enough to make it worth it? I recently got a jewelers loupe so I now have the capacity, I just need a reason.
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  1:00 pm  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
If you are interested in varieties, they can be fun to find and identify. Better examples on coins in good condition sell for $2-3 on ebay, although they seem to sell slowly. Same with die clashes, which can be checked at the same time.

Counter-question: Excluding War Nickels, what are the most valuable nickels that you've found in the first 50 boxes? I can't immediately recall any key coins in the nickel series that are worth more than a couple bucks in circulated condition. At least, none that aren't also rare varieties.
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J the Apostate's Avatar
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 Posted 10/14/2025  7:45 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add J the Apostate to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Fair counter question, and you got me. I don't believe there really are any nickels worth more than a couple of bucks. At least not in circulation. I have pulled a 1913 Type 2 Buffalo out of circulation, which should be worth $10-$20.

Honestly, searching for varieties just seems tedious in terms of my time. I work crazy hours and I'm searching at max capacity already. Do you know of any easily identified at a glance?
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