More On Jefferson Nickel's And Full Steps

Last week I started a thread asking what was considered full step.

I read the responses and also did a search, and read old post on the same subject.

I ended up going and buying a book on the subject.

"A guide book of Buffalo and Jefferson nickels"
by Q. David Bowers

I would like to try and post some of the information I have been reading about. And see if some of the experts here agree.
It may take me a couple post to get it all down.

Definition of full steps (book contributes Bernard Nagengast)

"At the center front of Monticello are six steps, actually the front edge of the porch plus the edge of five steps."

He goes on to say it would be nice to to have a complete set of six step coins, but it would be impossible because for some issues(years) the working die use to produce the coins only had five steps.
This is particularly true on pre 1971 coins.

According to the book there are several different reverses since 1938.
1938, then 1939 can have the reverse of 38 or reverse of 40.
From 1940, no real change until 1971 then 1977 and 1982.
There were modification in 1986 and 1989.
After 1986 the mint maintained the master hub often enough that five and six step coins are easy to find.

Another interesting bit of information, there seems to be two main reasons why it is hard to get a full step coin.

One, being the design and at times not maintaining the master hub.

Two, The Act creating the nickel stated that it would weigh 77.16 grains with a two grain variation. With the hardness in the composition of the nickel this two grain variation caused a problem with the pressing of the coin.

Basically - To get a full detail (FD) coin, the press would have to be set up precisely the right distance apart, and have a planchet that was precisely the correct weight that was annealed to the ideal softness to get needle sharp detail. The problem then is when a planchet comes along that is 2 grains overweight, but still legal, the extra metal has no where to go, causing wear on the die or worse cracking.

The mint employee's answer to this was to space the die's slightly apart to accommodate for the overweight planchets. Results were that correct and underweight planchets would produce coins with areas of weakness and coins where "planchets scratches" were not pressed out.

There is a lot more interesting information in the book, I am sure, for me, I will have to read it a couple times for it to sink in.

Let me know if this information helps .. or if I got some of it wrong.