I Started A Nickel Collection 1938 - 1961

I remember collecting that way, from change but that was long ago, now.
I still look at my change and save anything that is of interest.
I have spent wheat ears pennies just to let someone else find them.

I've been collecting Jeffersons since 1957 but for the main part only half-heartedly. I was inially a buffalo collector but always kept my eyes on the other nickels in circulation and pulled out key dates. I even found a '50-D in 1964 when they were still valuable and sold it for what seemed like a king's ransom; $25. I searched many thousands of nickel rolls between 1972 and 1976 hoping to complete a circulated roll set and found a second '50-D.

These coins are quite undervalued and this especially applies to the better dates in XF and better. The prices are low because BU's tend to be common but moost people don't realize that AU's are much less common for earlier dates and many BU's are unattractive. There simply aren't substantial numbers of BU's for dates like the mint marked '38 and '39's, '42-D,'49-S, and 1950. BU's would be more expensive if collectors appreciated their scarcity and AU's would be worth a lot more if there was more collector demand. These are the only older Jeffs I've held onto except a few BU rolls.

I like a lot of the later dates because they weren't set aside, quality is poor, and there is no overhang of supply. Something like a nice attractive XF 1971 nickel is not only uncommon but there are very few attractive Uncs as well. Nobody is sitting on rolls and bags of coins like this.

I did try a Gem complete set in the early '80's but too many of them are too tough in Gem and in those days you couldn't just order a graded coin.

I've got 6 sets like that but in Albums. I sort of stopped with most of them after they changed the original. I try to keep up with a few Albums of those but those changes sort of made me irritable.

Update: I was on a good roll at work today. I wound up finding 4 nickels that I needed.

'48, '52, '54 and a '55!

Pleased as punch to find the '55 as there were only 8.3 million minted!

18 more holes to fill!

All I can say is great work so far and keep it up! And that is a pretty amazing collection you have as well Jack!

Thanks for all of the words of encouragement! The last time I worked on filling a Whitman folder, people were wearing bell bottoms and turquoise chokers.

Very nice!

I found a '52S today!

16 more holes to fill!