| Author |
 Replies: 35 / Views: 1,783 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
I inherited my grandpa's well-worn buffalo collection, and wanted to add a few that have full strike detail. Here's a 1913 Type 1 in a ICG MS65 holder, photographed the best I can. It's hard to get good shadows for contrast through the holder, but the tail, the lower forelegs, the ribs, the mantle and the furry head are pretty sharp.  Hopefully someone else has a better one they'll post. *** Moved by Staff moved to a more appropriate forum. ***"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
10/24/2023 8:03 pm
|
|
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Beautiful example for sure.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
25199 Posts |
That's a real beauty, thq!
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
How about an obverse pic?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
3343 Posts |
It's really the buffalo that interests me. The subtle details of the obverse are even harder to photograph, and my set-up isn't that great. I can't capture the shadows and roughness of the face.
In looking at a lot of these, the 1913-1916 Philadelphia mint coins were generally the best strikes.
"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
10/24/2023 8:42 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
19155 Posts |
Would love to see that obverse. Nice coin.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
Here's a raw 1915 I found during my hunt, AU or MS. These are far easier to photograph - the buffalo face details show much better. They are also much cheaper than the slabbed coins. I think the detail on the 1913 is better, especially the furry head and the mantle, but this is still pretty good for the $30 paid. The golden tone is due to lighting.   "Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
10/24/2023 10:00 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4416 Posts |
Of all the U.S. sets I've assembled for going on seventy years now, the Buffalo nickels were my favorite series. The early years in high grades were typically sharper it seems, as the OP's 1913 well illustrates. Super type coin, this! Let's see the obverse. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
74150 Posts |
Very nice coin!  Errers and Varietys.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
6504 Posts |
Both of those are really nice coins. The detail on the 1913 buffalo is excellent.
|
|
Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
Did ICG get the grade right? John1  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
I'm not looking for the accuracy of the grading John1, just the sharpness of the strike.
The rarest buffalos are high MS San Franciscos from the 1920's. They need to be sharply struck to make MS65 and almost none of them were. I can afford the early Philly's but not those.
"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
18664 Posts |
please don't take this the wrong way as I call it as I see it. I don't want to burst your bubble and I know you are not looking to confirm the grade but I'm not sure PCGS or NGC would grade this at 65. looks like there is a scratch right through the eye. as for the strike if you compare this one to other ones graded by PCGS the back fur is not as defined where it meets the body and the split of the tail is not fully defined. also look at the hip definition. its very flat and should be more defined between the hip and body. the boys manhood is pretty much gone as well. lastly the upper rim from K9 to K2 if not sharp and defined. the fur on the head does look good. an obverse pic would be great. I wanted to point out some of these areas so you are aware of some things to look for. heres an MS65 graded by PCGS to compare. buffs are one of the harder series to grade due to strike issues, die issues & lots of polishing to extend their life. there are some die polishing you can see on yours. compare the bottom of your rear hock with this example and you'll see it as one example.  Edited by panzaldi
10/25/2023 10:32 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
Thanks panzaldi. What year is your example?
As I said I bought it for the strike, and major grading service examples are 2-3x as expensive. The strike on the 1913 in the holder is much better than my photo, which doesn't even show the face detail. The raw 1915 was much easier to photograph.
"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
10/25/2023 12:57 pm
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
18664 Posts |
Quote:
What year is your example? its a 1913 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
Of the buffalos I've dug up so far the best strike is on a 1916-P in a PCGS MS63 holder. The buffalo is great, but the obverse is scarred on the cheek (looks like a big wart) and I wonder how it got its grade. After the best possible strike, I looked at the proofs, but they are way out of my price range fot this project, and only incremental improvement over business strikes. However, I turned up this listing for a proof that doesn't exist...the 1917.... https://www.ebay.com/itm/186032369726Charging 5x the price of a slabbed MS65 1917-P seems exorbitant for an "AU++" raw coin. If NGC and PCGS says they don't even exist, why would anyone trust this seller to know? It's not even very well struck. "Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
Edited by thq
10/28/2023 3:48 pm
|
| |
Replies: 35 / Views: 1,783 |
Posted 10/24/2023 8:04 pm
