1881 Shield Nickel Uncirculated Or Proof?

Another shot with an overhead lamp reflection.

There seem to be few uncirculated Shield nickels with such sharp detail and an absence of die cracks. I'd call it a proof, and pretty choice. PR-65, maybe.

Thanks for the additional pics. I'm moving from probably proof to firmly proof. Shot at PR66.

I'm still on the fence, but either way, it's a beautiful coin.

I think I remember reading that sets of "minor" proof coins were available from the mint during this time. Maybe your group of 1881 IHC, 3-cent nickel, and Shield nickel were one those sets. If so, it's pretty cool that they have stayed together!
Assuming the other two coins compare in quality to the Shield nickel, I'd send all three to PCGS for certification. Hopefully they would all come back with no-problem grades and consecutive serial numbers. The PCGS holder would provide much better protection than a 2X2 and will make it easier to sell at a solid price, should you ever decide to do so.

You'll be seeing the other two coins ASAP. The IHC is very red. The 3 cent nickel looks cameo and is perhaps the best of the three. These three coins came from my paternal grandfather. He liked beautiful coins but was not a collector per se, he never owned an albumn or folder. He bought a lot of commemortive halves in the 20's and 30's. He had rolls of $20 gold that he didn't turn-in in 1933 but were later stolen by a housekeeper. He lived in San Francisco in 1909 and loved Lincoln and went down to the mint to buy the brand new Lincoln cents and bought several rolls of what I'm assuming were all 1909-s VDB uncirculated. He married an 18 year old girl in 1920 who cleaned out his sock drawer of all these stupid pennies. How 'bout THEM apples? It's a good thing she was a stunning blonde with blue eyes. I had to split his things with my three brothers and 3 cousins, so I didn't get a whole lot. One cool thing I got was a Spanish 4 Reales and 2 Reales coins found in my great-great-grandfather's pocket when he died in Ohio in 1862. It's my understanding Spanish Reales were used at the time in commerce, particularly in Ohio.

Our resident nihilist.

We are curious apes who enjoy finding answers for our questions. Nothing wrong with that.


I agree. No real reason to separate them now. Enjoy them while they are in your care; pass them and the knowledge you have gained down to the next generation when you are ready.

This is correct the Mint did sell sets of the minor coins, 1 three and nickel five cent pieces. Cost was 15 cents. If I remember correctly in 1883 they also sold sets of the three varieties of nickels for 18 cents. I was wondering if this could have been one of the minor sets as well.