Guide: PCGS Cherrypicker Varieties For Jefferson Nickels

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Brandmeister Pillar of the Community United States 6458 Posts	Posted 09/22/2023 8:31 pm Brief Guide to PCGS Accredited Cherrypicker Varieties for Jefferson Nickels For your consideration, I present a brief guide to the most popular, valuable, and easily-identified Jefferson nickel varieties. To be included in this article, a Jefferson nickel variety must meet the following criteria: 1. A cupronickel Jefferson five cent coin, specifically excluding War Nickels, 2. A circulation strike nickel, specifically excluding proofs and Special Mint Sets, 3. A published Cherrypicker's Guide variety with an official Fivaz-Stanton number, 4. Not a Repunched mint mark (RPM) or Over Mint Mark (OMM) variety, 5. Accredited by PCGS. Without further ado, the listings. 5¢ PCGS Attributed Cherries (JN) No RPM or OMM listings 1938 5c FS-101 DDO 1938 5c FS-105 QDO 1939 5c FS-801 DDR 1941-S 5c Large-S FS-501 1941-S 5c Inverted MM FS-503 1942 5c FS-101 DDO 1942 5c FS-102 DDO 1946 5c FS-801 DDR 1946-S 5c FS-101 DDO 1954-S 5c FS-801 DDR 1956 5c FS-801 QDR 1956 5c FS-802 TDR 1963 5c FS-801 TDR 2004-P 5c FS-101 DDO 2005-D 5c Speared Bison On Images:* Just a brief note on correctly using the PCGS web site. Doubled dies in particular require close examination. Tapping or clicking a reference image from the main page or image gallery will open the PCGS image browser. These images are presentable, but it is not particularly convenient to zoom and scroll in that tool. Instead, use the download button in the upper-right corner (next to the X to close the tool) to download a high resolution full color photograph into a new browser tab. You can zoom and scroll in that image to your heart's content, and even save it for future reference. 1938 5c FS-101 DDO (VV, BVC) Fairly subtle doubling overall. Most visible on the bottom left serifs of IN, and on the right outer curves of the 3 and 8. 1938 5c FS-105 QDO (VV, BVC) A very blocky doubling on the tops and bottoms of all obverse lettering. Most easily visible on the flat bottom serifs of Liberty. 1939 5c FS-801 DDR (VV, BVC) The granddaddy of Jefferson nickel doubled dies. The words Monticello and Five Cents have separated letters. Visible not only under magnification but also to the naked eye. 1941-S 5c Large-S FS-501 (VV) Variety uses the Trumpet Tail mint mark from San Francisco, easily distinguished from the Small-S mint mark used from 1917-1941. 1941-S 5c Inverted MM FS-503 (WDD) Variety is an upside-down version of the typical Small-S mint mark. 1942 5c FS-101 DDO (VV, BVC) Doubling is easiest to see on the IN from In God We Trust, and especially on the date. This is a standard cupronickel Jefferson five cent coin struck before the War Nickel alloy was adopted in 1942. 1942 5c FS-102 DDO (VV, BVC) Doubling is easiest to see on the TR from In God We Trust, the bottom edge of the nose, and protruding from the bottom bar of the 2 on the date. This is a standard cupronickel Jefferson five cent coin struck before the War Nickel alloy was adopted in 1942. 1946 5c FS-801 DDR (VV, BVC) A flattened double most easily identified by the blocky bottom on the R in Pluribus and the entire word Unum. 1946-S 5c FS-101 DDO (VV, BVC) Doubling is visible on the right edge of letters in Liberty, and most especially on the 9 and 4 of the date. 1954-S 5c FS-801 DDR (VV, BVC) Very strong crooked doubling of Monticello's steps between the NT of the word Monticello and the bottom of the building. Often accompanied by Die Deterioration ripples west of the doubling. 1956 5c FS-801 QDR (VV, BVC) Split serifs are visible on most letters in Pluribus Unum, both top and bottom. Note: the only PCGS picture listing for this variety is on the Full Steps tab. 1956 5c FS-802 TDR (VV, BVC) Split serifs are visible on almost all lettering of E Pluribus Unum, Five Cents, United States Of America. Particularly visible on the bottom serifs of flat letters. 1963 5c FS-801 TDR (VV) Split serifs are visible on the tops and bottoms of almost all letters in E Pluribus Unum. 2004-P 5c FS-101 DDO (VV, BVC) Doubling is visible on Liberty, but is most easily seen on the right edge of the numbers in 2004, particularly the vertical line of the post in 4. 2005-D 5c Speared Bison Not (yet) a Fivaz-Stanton variety, but a popular coin worth good money. Die gouge runs from E in States at a leftwards slant, down through the bison's belly. PCGS page has a reference image for easy identification. Report this Post to the Staff

Brandmeister Pillar of the Community United States 6458 Posts	Posted 09/22/2023 8:38 pm In case anyone wants the selection criteria explained, my rationale is as follows. The five cent piece in current circulation is the Jefferson nickel. War nickels—although historically interesting and nominally valuable—have been largely removed from circulation due to their 35% silver content. Your odds of finding a War Nickel are low (perhaps 1-in-1000), and therefore your odds of finding a certifiable War Nickel variety are much, much lower. The circulation strike requirement should be self-explanatory. You will not encounter proof nickels or Special Mint Set (SMS) nickels in general circulation, except as a rare occurrence. When coin roll hunting, 99.99% of what you encounter are circulation strike Jefferson nickels. The Jefferson nickels found in the Cherrypicker's Guide tend to have the strongest features. These are the easiest to identify for people still learning the hobby. Experts have already graduated to using the more challenging listings found on Variety Vista, Wexler's Doubled Dies, CONECA, and other numismatic catalogs. I decided not to include Repunched Mint Marks and Over Mint Marks in this article because they comprise a large number of listings, and because RPM/OMM really deserve their own summary guide. PCGS attribution means a few things. First—and most importantly—every PCGS variety listing has large, full color photographs of the coin. Often PCGS presents multiple photo examples of the same variety, which is helpful for understanding the different circulation grades. Second, when PCGS attributes a variety, it is because they think it is worth money. These are the doubled die nickels and mint mark varieties (non-RPM) that the collecting world views as valuable. To avoid any uncertainty about my meaning of "valuable" here, these are coins that people view as worth submitting for paid grading and attribution, protective encapsulation, and sale on the auction sites like Great Collections. If I have made any errors or omissions, I am happy to take feedback on the guide. Probably at some point I will find the time to write a proper short article on each of these nickel varieties, pulling together information from many print and online resources (including this one). My Finds: 1944-D 1c FS-101 / 1941-S 5c FS-501 / 1946-S 1c IMM FS-501 / 2001-P 25c WDDR-003 / 1946 5c FS-801 / 2020-P 5c WDDR #1 / 2020-P 5c WDDR #2 / 2019-P 5c WDDR-004 / 2019-P 5c WDDR-048 / 2014-P 5c WDDR-015 / 2020-P VDDR-003 / 1938 5c WDDR-003 Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 09/22/2023 9:34 pm Good info, thanks. Report this Post to the Staff
Dearborn Moderator United States 94786 Posts	Posted 09/22/2023 9:42 pm Great Information Brand! thanks!! Collecting since 1972. Learning from then on "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin 7070 type set coin count: 51/76 Uncirculated American Silver Eagles My American Silver Eagle Proof Collection Sacagawea Dollars Innovation Dollars Eisenhower-Dollars Kennedy-Half Dollars Washington-Quarters Roosevelt-Dimes Buffalo-Nickels 1938-2005 Jefferson-Nickels Lincoln-Cents Report this Post to the Staff
Errers and Varietys Bedrock of the Community United States 73688 Posts	Posted 09/22/2023 10:13 pm Great information, thanks! Errers and Varietys. Report this Post to the Staff
nickelsearcher Moderator United States 15391 Posts	Posted 09/23/2023 05:23 am This is an excellent summary on the topic, thanks for compiling it. Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art Report this Post to the Staff
jdavis18 Pillar of the Community United States 553 Posts	Posted 09/23/2023 07:37 am This is fantastic. That is for posting it. Report this Post to the Staff
southsav Pillar of the Community 2222 Posts	Posted 09/23/2023 09:23 am Thanks for putting together and sharing! Great info Report this Post to the Staff
Brandmeister Pillar of the Community United States 6458 Posts	Posted 09/23/2023 11:16 am Thanks, guys! =) Report this Post to the Staff
RobO411 Pillar of the Community United States 2404 Posts	Posted 09/23/2023 11:29 am . Great info to save. Thank you. Report this Post to the Staff
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