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 Replies: 12 / Views: 3,198 |
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Valued Member
Canada
101 Posts |
Hey guys, My grandma has collected coins since she was a little girl (she's now into her late 80's). On my last visit up, she was digging through her box of coins, and handed me a little bag. It was a bag marked only as "American Coins". Appearently, she got this bag many years back, and never got around to cataloging them. Her arthritis is now so bad she can't manipulate small coins anymore. Thus why I got a bag of unsorted coins (too much trouble for her nowadays). Anyways, to the point. The bag contained a few 1970's American quarters and dimes (nothing special). It also contained 25 Silver Buffalo (Indian Head) Nickels. Most of the coins are in rough shape (heavily circulated), and the date has worn off and can't be seen with the naked eye on 17 of them. The other 8 are dated as follows: 1919 1920 1923 1925 1928 1929 1935 1937 Did I find anything special? Or are Buffalo nickels fairly common and not worth much in poor condition? Ps. Theres a kicker. On one of the "undated" coins, I noticed the Obverse seemed to be a tad different. It appears that the ground is raised higher compared to the other coins. I did some research, and I believe I might have a 1913 Type 1 Buffalo nickel. Can anyone confirm? This is the "potential" Type 1 Reverse-  Type 1 Obverse -  1937 Reverse -  1937 Obverse -  The 1937 is the coin that I believe is in the best condition. The 17 "worn-date" coins are all in the same condition as the potential Type 1 Buffalo nickel shown. Any help? Thanks Edited by Delareece
08/21/2012 4:46 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3345 Posts |
Cool find! First off, theyre not silver. Just copper and nickel. and unforunatley there really isn't anything special there. But if you have any nickels without dates, try soaking them in vinegar for a few days. There's a good chance the vinegar will reveal the date. I've used it plenty of times.
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Valued Member
 Canada
101 Posts |
Quote:
But if you have any nickels without dates, try soaking them in vinegar for a few days. There's a good chance the vinegar will reveal the date. I've used it plenty of times. Nice tip! Will try that tonight with a few of them, thanks! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
797 Posts |
Soaking them will make them appear rough, but will reveal the dates and detail through Metal Memory
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1431 Posts |
Nice find!  First off, I thought I should let you know that the side with the buffalo is the reverse, and the side with the indian is the obverse. Check the space at the bottom of the reverse underneath "FIVE CENTS" for a D or S mintmark. Secondly, there are a few dates in the series that can be identified even when the date is completely worn off. Those being the 1913 T1 (which you have pictured), 1920, 1921, and 1924. The last three can be identified by looking at the Indian's hair ribbon on the obverse. Use this picture for comparison:  |
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Valued Member
United States
255 Posts |
Thanks for the info about the vinegar and the different ways of identifying other dates. I have a box of no date nickels as well. i'll look through them tomorrow!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2602 Posts |
Just a minor correction- the Buffalo side is the reverese, the Indian side the obverse. The raised mound is a 1913 Type 1. Happy hunting!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8517 Posts |
Just do one nickel in the white vinegar to start with. You may not like the looks after a soaking.
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
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Valued Member
United States
367 Posts |
Did you check for mint marks on those nickels?
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Valued Member
United States
255 Posts |
Do the nickels stay "rough" after the soak in vinegar or is it just until they dry? I like them as is and would not want to do any harm.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8517 Posts |
I've never done a nickel in white vinegar but I have done a copper penny and they can get pretty pitted up. You could try one that's in pretty bad shape and see what happens.
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
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Valued Member
Canada
101 Posts |
Quote:
First off, I thought I should let you know that the side with the buffalo is the reverse, and the side with the indian is the obverse. Dearly noted and changed. Thanks! I'm still quite new to coins. Quote:
Check the space at the bottom of the reverse underneath "FIVE CENTS" for a D or S mintmark. I can make out a "D" mint mark, or what was undoubtedly a "D" mint mark on the 1925, 1929 and on two of the "undated" coins. Quote:
Secondly, there are a few dates in the series that can be identified even when the date is completely worn off. Wow, that helps a lot. I can now identify the dates on 4 of the undated coins. I'm still having trouble differentiating between the 1920 ribbon wave, and the 1924 small ribbon wave however. Quote:
Just do one nickel in the white vinegar to start with. You may not like the looks after a soaking. Will do. Thats what I was planning on doing (once I get vinegar). Does soaking the coin in vinegar decrease it's value though? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
Vinegar is acid so the pitting will be permanent. I would suggest getting a bottle of Nic A Date instead. It is applied only to the date area and therefor will not ruin the rest of the coin.
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Replies: 12 / Views: 3,198 |
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Posted 08/20/2012 9:54 pm
