1921S Keydate Buffalo Nickle dug in Washington State!!! (Updated!) Clearer Pics!

Detectingfreak

Gold Member
Apr 26, 2006
5,736
21
Bellevue, WA
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Minelab Explorer SE, Tesoro TigerShark
Hey guys! Well I did not imagine I would find any key date coins, in my career of detecting. After trying to learn my machine for 2 years now, I have finally found a Key date coin!

It all started when Nate and I found a spot that gave up 23 wheaties, and 2 indian head pennies. We went back there today, after going to another field that was a bust. The field before had soooooo much trash in it, it was incredible! I defiantly dug my years worth of trash all in one day!

After we got tired of digging garbage, we headed off to the school/lot I had mentioned before. Nate was thinking, "Silver, Silver, Silver." While I was thinking, "I want any old coin! I don't care!". We started digging and digging. Between the two of us we came up with tons of garbage because we were going for iffy trash signals trying to clear out the area. Nate got a weird hit with iron in it, and he ended up digging a 1943s Washington quarter. I just kept digging trashy targets one after another! The only clad I got today was 2 memorial pennies.

During the day, we had breaks from the rain, but we just kept hunting and hunting! The rain kept coming down even faster and Nate told me he wanted me to get a keeper before we quit for the day. Well, I got my keeper! At the time, I did not know that it was a key date. In fact, I just thought it was a regular old buffalo nickle. I was sure happy to uncover my first buffalo nickle ever! Nate took a picture of the buffalo nickle in the dirt, but unfortunately he does not have internet access right now, and he will email me the picture when he gets it this week.

Anyways, rushing home all excited that I got my first buffalo nickle, I ran to the door and put down all my gear. I then ran to the laundry room and put amonia on the buffalo nickle and the first thing I saw was 1921! I was like sweet a buffalo with an actual readable date on it! I then went upstairs to begin posting, and I found out that 1921 buffalo nickles could also have a mint mark on them. I ran downstairs and put some more amonia on the bottom of the five cents and to my surprise an S was staring up at me!

I was shocked! I started swearing and going in ballistics! Today, was defiantly a good day! Me being a 3.6gpa student sure has paid off! This hobby is defiantly the hobby that I am good at! :)

Here are the pictures!!!!!!

I am very sorry for the very blurry S picture! I will take more photo's tomorrow when it becomes light out. Also, I got a little toy lead soldier, please let me know if you find any information about him.

Right now as it stands this coin is worth $70 with an estimate and only 1,557,000 ever minted. Nate just emailed me the pictures this morning, So I uploaded them! They were from yesterdays hunt!!!! :icon_thumleft:

mattsfirstbuffpicone.jpg


mattsfirstbuffpic2.jpg


February13thsfinds001.jpg


February13thsfinds002.jpg


February13thsfinds003.jpg


February13thsfinds007.jpg


Clearerpictureofthe1921S025.jpg

This is the clearer picture!! If I blew the picture up Anymore it would get all distorted.

1921sbuffalonickle023.jpg


1921sbuffalonickle024.jpg


Have a good presidents day weekend!!!!!

Oh, by the way, I just checked my post and you can see the S clearly under the 5 cents. I will defiantly get better pictures tomorrow.
 

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Detectingfreak

Detectingfreak

Gold Member
Apr 26, 2006
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Bellevue, WA
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tomharris76 said:
YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! There actually are some good coins to find in washington state. WTG!!!!

I know! As long as you get permission to hunt older houses and farms then your good to go for old coins! This was an area that JuJu and I believe used to have an old early 1900's home on it, but it got either moved or demolished. Thankfully they left the ground alone and did not put fill dirt on it! :) What was also really weird was it was a lot to the right of a modern school. Kind of funny that vacant grassy lots like this will turn up the oldies! There is also a house to the left of the school that looks like it is from the early 1900's. Right now JuJu is trying to get us permission to hunt that house as well! :icon_thumleft:
 

birdman

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Jan 28, 2005
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Choctaw Beach Florida
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Awesome find! Great job and big congrats!!
 

p2c

Bronze Member
Apr 14, 2009
1,356
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Matteson, IL
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Re: 1921S Keydate Buffalo Nickle dug in Washington State!!!

lumpsums said:
great find-i have a buff. thats red looking also-is there anyway to remove the redness-or do i just leave it that way.
and no im not gonna use visine!!! :laughing7:

Not really without killing the value of the coin, like the original poster's coin. Especially once you see the date and you see it is a key date, you leave the coin alone period. Improper techniques will only lower the value of the coin.

Now for common date nickels I've seen people leave them in very harsh cleaning solutions that eat away the surface metal. That will make them look the correct color, but the surface of the nickel usually looks ugly and pitted and a lot of detail comes off along with the nickel-oxide.
 

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Detectingfreak

Detectingfreak

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Apr 26, 2006
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Bellevue, WA
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Re: 1921S Keydate Buffalo Nickle dug in Washington State!!!

p2c said:
lumpsums said:
great find-i have a buff. thats red looking also-is there anyway to remove the redness-or do i just leave it that way.
and no im not gonna use visine!!! :laughing7:

Not really without killing the value of the coin, like the original poster's coin. Especially once you see the date and you see it is a key date, you leave the coin alone period. Improper techniques will only lower the value of the coin.

Now for common date nickels I've seen people leave them in very harsh cleaning solutions that eat away the surface metal. That will make them look the correct color, but the surface of the nickel usually looks ugly and pitted and a lot of detail comes off along with the nickel-oxide.


That is why I am leaving this coin alone. I only cleaned it with amonia which only gets all of the dirt away.
 

vanoldschool

Hero Member
Dec 1, 2005
720
217
Port Orchard, Wa
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sweet wa find !! a buff is awesome I found my first one last year out by woodinville
 

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Detectingfreak

Detectingfreak

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Apr 26, 2006
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SkyPirate said:
It's a key date but is it worth anything in that condition?

Usually dug coins are not worth as much as non-dug coins, but it is a joy to find a key date all the same. Besides metal detecting is not about getting rich off some hot item. Its about having fun with friends and preserving history! Besides, a lot of people on this forum already know I keep all my finds and never sell them! :)
 

vanoldschool

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Dec 1, 2005
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217
Port Orchard, Wa
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Detectingfreak said:
SkyPirate said:
It's a key date but is it worth anything in that condition?

Usually dug coins are not worth as much as non-dug coins, but it is a joy to find a key date all the same. Besides metal detecting is not about getting rich off some hot item. Its about having fun with friends and preserving history! Besides, a lot of people on this forum already know I keep all my finds and never sell them! :)

You mean I cannot retire?? man im gonna quit! lol
 

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Detectingfreak

Detectingfreak

Gold Member
Apr 26, 2006
5,736
21
Bellevue, WA
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Minelab Explorer SE, Tesoro TigerShark
vanoldschool said:
Detectingfreak said:
SkyPirate said:
It's a key date but is it worth anything in that condition?

Usually dug coins are not worth as much as non-dug coins, but it is a joy to find a key date all the same. Besides metal detecting is not about getting rich off some hot item. Its about having fun with friends and preserving history! Besides, a lot of people on this forum already know I keep all my finds and never sell them! :)

You mean I cannot retire?? man im gonna quit! lol

No you can retire off metal detecting if it becomes your full time job.
 

NGE

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May 27, 2008
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S.E. Michigan
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That's funny..........I don't see "wings" on that buffalo :laughing7:
 

Ray in CA

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Oct 11, 2007
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Quincy, CA
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Re: 1921S Keydate Buffalo Nickle dug in Washington State!!! (Updated!) Clearer P

Excellent find on that buffalo, Matt! Congrats!

Ray
 

Sim_Player

Full Member
Jan 12, 2010
135
2
Camano Island, Wa
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Re: 1921S Keydate Buffalo Nickle dug in Washington State!!! (Updated!) Clearer P

Awesome find!

I live up here on Camano Island.

I must be looking in the wrong spots.

My oldest coin in WA has been a 1945D War Nickle.

Back in Boise, ID (16 yrs ago) I dug alot of nice silver coins and a few Buffs.

I need a diggin buddie.

~Sim
 

SkyPirate

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Mar 31, 2009
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Raleigh North Carolina
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Detectingfreak said:
SkyPirate said:
It's a key date but is it worth anything in that condition?

Usually dug coins are not worth as much as non-dug coins, but it is a joy to find a key date all the same. Besides metal detecting is not about getting rich off some hot item. Its about having fun with friends and preserving history! Besides, a lot of people on this forum already know I keep all my finds and never sell them! :)

Just wondering. Thanks and congratulations on the find!
 

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