Nickels

Mar 3, 2016
16
12
Lafayette Indiana
Detector(s) used
AT/Pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Please share your opinions!

First and foremost, I would like to state that I do not sell my finds (with the exception of gold rings that I can't return). My question is predominately about old nickel finds. Most any nickel found that has been underground for a good period of time will develop a less than pleasing orange/greeen/reddish crust on it. I have seen detectorists that find V-nickels, Shields, buffalos, etc....and claim that they are worth "so-many" hundred dollars. It is my experience that no coin dealer is going to pay much of anything for an environmentally damaged coin like I have described. I fully understand that something is worth exactly as much as someone is willing to pay for it. I'm generally speaking about across the board value. Does anyone here actually sell environmentally damaged coins like this and get a good return? As I already said, I do not sell stuff and although it will probably make some hard-core, purist hunters weep in grief I normally tumble my old nickles to improve the look of them for my own collection. In my opinion, tumbling simulates what would happen in a circulation environment anyway. There is no way your going to make a coin like this look new/mint, but the looks can be improved considerably toward what it should have looked like if it was not lost and just spent time being passed from pocket, to register, to bank, and back around again. Not looking for "I'm right and your wrong" debates.....just opinions. And you know what they say about opinions.

Thanks!
 

enamel7

Gold Member
Apr 16, 2005
6,384
2,546
North Carolina
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I haven't, but one thing to remember is not all soil types are the same. The nickels I find will appear different depending on where I find them. I have never found a nickel that was green or corroded.
 

Dozer D

Silver Member
Feb 12, 2012
3,358
3,081
Primary Interest:
Other
Could tumbling in SAND in your machine help make it look different?
 

joee5

Hero Member
Dec 16, 2015
511
236
Central New Jersey
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excaliber II
Whites XLT
Garrett PP
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I save all my nickels pre 1960. No particular reason, I just do :icon_thumright:
 

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