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

Not too bad. I like the idea of a pickled set, but for now I'm putting all the CRH buffs together.

I have been trying to put together a complete Jefferson set from coin rolls. I had gone through ten boxes of nickels in the last month and a half without finding any 1938 coins, and today I found a 1938 and a 1938-D. Here is the 1938-D (which came from a machine-wrapped clear plastic roll). I'm pretty excited and amazed. EF-40?

that 38d as a roll find is super awesome. Congrats!

I'm new to collecting coins, I have a few questions about nickles.

why search for pre 1958 nickles?

and if the price of nickle ever were to soar and the coin would need to be melted down, would the copper and nickle be separated to where both the copper and nickle could be reused, or does the process eliminate or downgrade the metal that you are not after?

Eaglefoot - I see you are like Jon and work a very specific list to hunt. It explains the getting skunked bit. Glad you got some silver on this latest hunt...and an early buffalo.

ccint - Some folks like to keep all their early finds. 1960 seems to be the date most pick for the cutoff date. I don't know of anyone here who keeps nickels for their material content. Rather they keep for their numismatic value/interest. There are numbers of threads here debating the worth of keeping coins for their material value. You can read to you're blue in the face on the pros-cons of doing so. Unless the laws change, melt value is just a dream.

As noted in my note to Eaglefoot, there are a number here who don't keep everything before a date...unless you find buffalo or V nickels. Then most people keep what they find. As for Jefferson nickels, folks usually start out keeping all their nickels...then they scale back over time. Finding nickels between 1938-present are reasonably plentiful, with a few exceptions. Depending on if you're hoarding nickels or just collecting higher grade specimens, dd/mms, warnickels, space and investment will vary.

Collect what you like...and you can always scale back a hoard later. Good luck!

coincollectinnewtime .... You asked, "Why collect pre-58 nickels ?"

1st easy answer is to build a Jefferson nickel set. And many like to do it from coin roll hunting (C.R.H.)
2nd reason, is there are a key and semi-key dates to look for (1950-d and 1939-d are the key dates, for example)
And there are WW2 Era nickels known as "Silver War Nickels", in which their metal composition is 35% silver.
Silver War Nickels are dated 1942-1945, a large P, D, or S will be over the dome of Monticello on these to differentiate them from other years on normal nickels.
Coin roll hunting nickels is a pleasure for many reasons....but melting nickels down to extract any type of metal is not the idea with "pre-58" nickels, as you say, or any other kind of nickel for that matter.
My Jefferson nickel collection has coin folders, coin albums, coin tubes, 2x2's, etc. This is the concept, to get a complete set of them, all mints represented, (including Proofs for some people like me), and to try to upgrade each individual nickel whenever you can to a nicer grade/quality whenever possible, which makes for a VERY nice attractive set.
Jefferson nickels start in 1938 and continue to today with some interesting changes along the way.
In my opinion, since you are new to the hobby, it is one that I recommend as an easy "starter set"....and you can complete it just through C.R.H. ! --(except maybe those 2 keys, but those can be found too if your diligent)
Hope you try it !

Friday's box was a buffalo dump, my second such box:

1921p
1925p
1928p
1936p
1938d
undated

Congrats on that 1938d Jefferson!

Today I picked up 20 rolls from my B of A. Unfortunately 5 rolls were all bank wrapped 2015-D.

The rest yielded a 1940, 1946, 1947-D, 1952-D, & some common late 50's.