Nice coins, and a nice find to have solid rolls.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, rolls and bags of the late Buffalos were common at shows. I can remember complete mint bags of 1937-D and 1938-D Buffs being offered at double face value in the Front Range.
The 1937 P-D-S and 1938-D Buffs are common in MS 64-65-66 and the 1938-D is also common in MS-67. Not many are slabbed, except in bulk submissions, because the values don't warrant the cost, and the
TPG population reports are deceptive for those dates.
Coin #1 would be a bourse floor MS-66. It has some chatter, but it isn't distracting. For the rest of the eye appeal analysis, the die states match at MDS, the strike is decent, but the clash polishing is a bit heavy. (Note the slightly rotated die clash, with the second feather / U of UNITED clash moved a bit into the field left of the U.)
Coin #2 appears to have a deep scratch below the Indian's chin. If that is a scratch, it would detail the coin. TPGs are brutal right now on the more common dates in the series, and any coin with scratches in the more visible areas of the devices or field are going to come back as details. Without that scratch, IMHO this one would be MS-65. Apart from the scratch, the rest of the eye appeal shows the die states match at MDS, the strike is decent, and the clash polishing is a average for the date. Unlike the first coin, the clashing on this die pair is in proper alignment. (Congratulating the mint on a proper die clash is a bit like congratulating a teenager on a collision in the mall parking lot because at least he hit the other car head-on.)
The solid date rolls from this era are not original bank rolls. They were rolled from solid date bags, probably in the 1970s. My hunch is that 1937 P-D-S rolls from original mint bags will have about 25 coins at MS-65, 8-10 at MS-64, and 5-7 at MS-66, with an occasional MS-67 hiding in the roll.
Again, nice coins!
Edited by fortcollins
03/14/2025 2:38 pm
Posted 03/13/2025 11:33 pm
