The Goal: 25,000 Rolls Of Nickels (All Searchers Welcome!)

Thanks Jack - that filled a hole but 11 more to go for me. I found several nice Jeffersons 30+ years ago as a kid. I wish I hadn't stopped CRHing for three decades - I might be closer to a full set. Happy Hunting!

I did three boxes in the last three days, which collectively yielded only:

1938p
1946s
1943P
1944P

BTW, that was a beautiful 1955p! My son and I have found 41 of them, but none that nice.

Hmmmm...wondering.....

Some folks here are apt to leave pre-60s nickels in circulation only plucking out key dates or ones they need (and reporting here). Is that the case here or are those recent boxes really that picked over?

3/4 way through a nice bag - 80 or so pre-60 keeper (I toss back the 5 most common dates and any excessively worn or scratched)

3 wars so far and a 38d. A screaming nice 41d that upgraded - rarely happens.

rackster,I save all pre 60's nickels except those in bad shape and proofs. I also upgrade my collection as I go along. Can't speak for the others.

I have to admit I LOVE searching nickels! I have been at it for two months now, have gone through maybe 10-12 boxes and have found 6 War Nickels (haven't found one in over a month), maybe 15 1939's (I can't seem to find any 1938's), 3 proofs, 2 sms, 3 buffaloes and a bunch of keepers for my first nickel book. When I first started I had no idea what to do....I was saving everything it seemed. So like you were saying, I had to establish some parameters. I quickly found myself running out of room and had a lot of money sitting around in nickels. I should also point out, I had this same issue with the other denominations as well and had a lot of money wrapped up.

Anyways, I took a few days off from searching, jumped on this forum and asked a lot of questions (probably drove everyone crazy with all my questions and bad quality pictures), created some basic grading criteria, visited some local coin shops to see graded coins in person, and read a ton online. At the end of the day, what I have learned, is the " Red Book" (coin bible) and the PCGS and NGC online coin values websites guides my decisions on what to keep or not keep. I know it sounds like I'm "Captain Obvious" reporting here, but as a new coin collector I found myself thinking everything was valuable and everything was an error and everything was worth keeping! Excitement takes over! Then comes the harsh dose of reality when you show your nickel to a pro and they tell you it's worth .05!

So to summarize.... I now open a roll and only pull the highest quality ( no dings, gouges, damage, and it must have steps....not necessarily full steps, but it's gotta have at least three full or so give or take) coins regardless of date (at the end of the day, the coolest error coin or old coin isn't worth much if the quality is poor). I will do this for a whole box. I bag them up and set them aside. I also pull anything 1959 and older. Once I have finished a box, I usually have a small snack sized zip lock bag of coins. From there I sort them using "my nickel list" (a list of the top value nickels based on my research). I also sort by date and mint and pull the best out for my book.

The question now is what to do with the high quality left overs and older leftovers....still haven't figured that out. But, at least I have thinned out the hoard of coins I had at first and now have a small collection of really nice nickels!

Of course, how and what you collect is a personal preference. Some people are into filling books regardless of quality. For them, they find filling holes in their albums fulfilling. For others, it's all about quality and having holes doesn't bother them as much. They would rather take months/years to complete the highest quality book possible. It's possible for this kind of collector an album may never be "done". They will forever be on the hunt for a better quality coin. And yet, there are those who collect strictly based on the value of the coin and could careless about keeping any coins other than for the purposes of trying to sell them or hold them only on the speculation that they will be worth something "some day". I find myself being a little bit of all three.

Going through this process was vital (and fun) for me! Without some ground rules and definitions I was starting to get discouraged. Having clarity on what to look for and ultimately keep definitely makes the activity more fun and rewarding!

Well, there's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Sorry for the novel, but Rackster, your question inspired me! ;-)

2400 Nickels searched -
14 Pre-60 Jeffersons ('49S hole filler, '45S)
1 Canadian
1 '09D (hole filler)
3 S Mint and a couple '80s upgrades

Less than normal yield, but I'll take 2 hole fillers and a couple upgrades any weekend!

Box of nickels this morning.

Found a nice 1940 and a 1938.

If only it was an S