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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,417 |
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Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
How do I restore the date on a Buffalo nickel I found, it is very worn |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1944 Posts |
you could try a couple of things. 1) there is a product called "nick-a-date". it is basically an acid the brings up the date but leaves an unsightly "burn" mark on the coin. 2) you could drop the coin into white vinegar. that dose about the same thing, but to the entire coin. I have done that with two no-date buffalo's. fairly successful. one was a 1023, the other 1915. I only left them in the vinegar until the date was barely visible. I don't know if I soak them longer if the date dill be clearer. both took 5-6 days.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2602 Posts |
Keep in mind that some dateless Buffalo nickels won't restore successfully even with prolonged acid exposure. I estimate that if more than 50% of the Liberty is gone, your chances of having a successful restoration are very small. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1291 Posts |
Well, remember that LIBERTY got a lot stronger due to design changes in 1916. If you give up too easily on a nickel with a weak LIBERTY you may be giving up on a perfectly restorable 1913, 1914 or 1915.
Edited by weerdsteev
04/08/2009 5:01 pm
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Valued Member
 United States
100 Posts |
I think it is a 1913 nickel because it is the only year where they had the raised ground and on mine there is a mound where the buffalo is standing. do the 1914-1938 look diffrent?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1291 Posts |
 Yes, raised ground could ONLY be a 1913. If you would have mentioned that in your first post you would have saved us from our useless conjectures. |
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Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
So do you think I should try to restore by soaking it in vinegar for a few days or take it to the local coin shop that is not so local and its actually pretty far away. and have him try his luck.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Could you see a mint mark on the rear, bottom? Regardless, if the coin is that poor, it may not be worth attempting to restore a date. If you could restore a date very lightly, there is always someone that may want to buy it if the cost is sufficiently low enough. But then too, would it be worth your troubles?
Of course if you just want to have fun experimenting, you have nothing to really loose by trying. Not only try Vinegar, but many of the juices in your refrigerator may be of some help. Orange, Lemon, Lime juices are slightly acidic. Pop, such as Coke, too contains acids. If the coin is worn to the point of not being worth much numismatically, have fun trying. Just don't go out and purchase substances that would make this an expensive adventure for nothing.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6326 Posts |
I really feel bad that there seem to be so many Buffalo's out there who can't get a date !  The male to female ratio of Buffalo's must be like 100 to 2 or something if there are THAT many " dateless Buffalo's" out there !! I wonder what their problem is....maybe they're just shy or something  It almost seems derogatory to refer to these poor creatures who can't find companionship as " Dateless Buffalo's"....... there really should be a more sympathetic term applied !  ...... |
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Valued Member
United States
369 Posts |
Starman, like carl said, check for a mint mark. It should be at the very bottom on the reverse. Almost all yearless buffaloes (how's that for sympathetic, carl?) that have mint marks are more valuable than those without visible mint marks. I tried vinegar a while back and it worked on 6/10, but it took several days and some of them were so weak I could only see it in the right light and at the right angle. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1291 Posts |
Starman - I definitely would NOT take it to your coin shop and ask them to restore it. Most coin shops do not offer that kind of service. Worse, they would probably laugh at you. At best, what you have is a 1913-S T1 and if you restored it, even restored it beautifully - full horn, full LIBERTY, full FIVE CENTS - the most you might hope to get for it would be about $15.00. You won't get that type of restoration with vinegar or Nic-a-date. And if you don't see the S or a D, then all you have is a 1913-P Type 1, which is just not worth your trouble.
Maybe we should call them "age-challenged" Buffaloes or "age indeterminant" Buffaloes...?
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Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
I looked for a mint mark and liberty, there is apsolutely nothing there! No trace of a date no trace of a mintmark or Liberty just flat.
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Valued Member
United States
369 Posts |
My coin dealer has a clear plastic box full of dateless buffaloes, some with MMs, some without, and several raised ground 1913s. There are even some with readable dates. They are 35 cents each. I got some for the possibility of finding a key, and to start a Buffalo nickel album. If you've never done it, you should get a few and soak them in vinegar. It's not the best way, but it's cheap and fun when it works. If you do, make sure they are submerged the entire time (overnight). If the vinegar evaporates, it will leave blue spots all over the nickel(s). Also, replace the vinegar every once in a while. Pour some in a clear glass so you can see the blue vinegar. (nickel acetate, I was told) Got a silver dime at work today. 1964 D.  (Coinstar reject) |
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Valued Member
United States
198 Posts |
I knew where this thread was headed as soon as I saw the title, but I was late getting here  I see weerdsteev has a website specifically for these unfortunate individuals!  ~ Jim |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,417 |
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Posted 04/08/2009 2:21 pm
