Hello Folks, I have this slabbed Buffalo nickel and I don't know what to make of it. It is different from other slabbed buffalo's that I have in the sense that the luster doesn't cartwheel on this one at all. It has superbly struck details with thin square wire rims. I am wondering if perhaps it is actually a satin proof and mis-labeled as ms-62? Even if not a proof, the 62 designation seems quite low to me. I hope these pics turn out OK, I'm not the best with photography.
There were 2 types of proof Buffs struck in 1936 - brilliant and satin finish.
I am not an expert on Buffs but a cursory glance at the PCGS plate coins for the two types shows much sharper lettering than OP's coin, especially on the reverse.
The photos have too much lighting, which makes the surface luster a bit harder to discern.
I agree that it is quite difficult to assess from just pictures, especially the glare of the pictures I posted. I took them last night with overhead room lighting. I will try to take another set this afternoon with just natural lighting. I do believe it is one of those coins you have to see in hand and tilt it in the proper lighting. I will probably have to see what my LCS thinks about it. The fields are smooth, almost mirror like but not quite. There is no cartwheel effect, just reflective effect and I can't see any flow lines in the fields from the die. I'll post a new set of pictures later today.
OK, this has been difficult for me to capture the true images with the blazing luster. I took this set in natural light with my Ipad. I wanted to get rid of the glare from the first set of images. In doing so the surfaces are easier to assess but the blazing reflective luster isn't showing up very well.
The pictures and even the short video don't do this coin justice. In hand it is stunning under a 2x glass. The more I look at it the more convinced I become that it is a proof. Way out of my wheelhouse on this one. I need to find an expert.
It looks like a nice piece that might be conservatively graded but highly unlikely to be a misattributed proof. You never know unless you have a couple Buffalo nickel experts view it in-hand for die markers and other characteristics unique to proofs.
Sharper pics would certainly help, but even from these I can say with 99.9% certainty, this is a business strike. Two types of proofs were struck this year, satin and brilliant. Brilliant has far more polished fields, given it the "typical" proof appearance. The satin proof was exactly that, satin. The surfaces of your coin are too reflective and glassy to be a satin proof.
Also, the strike should be sharper for a proof. 36 satins are a bit more difficult to find in a full strike than other years, but should still be stronger than your example. There is noticeable weakness in the hair above the braid, buffalos head, and shoulder.
The rims should be more squared. The rims for this year typically aren't as wide as the early date proofs, but they should have sharper edges. Business strikes have a bevel to the edges, where proofs have a more defined edge. You won't be able to capture this in a pic, but take a look at the edge. The edge of a proof should have a more consistent polished look. A business strike will have noticeable striations from the blanking process. These will be vertical striations on the edge (if you're holding the coin horizontally).
Against, difficult to say without seeing in hand, but this to me looks like a dipped coin. When nickel is dipped it loses that cartwheel affect ans takes on a consistent glassy or oily like look. JMHO
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Posted 03/11/2023 09:16 am
