first box of nickels - results are in

[FiresEye]

I'm so exciteds, sitting in front of me is a blue box of bankrolled nickles, from N.F. String and son marked in the 500.

SO, after lots of pennies by hand nickles are a welcome change.. Does nayone find silver war nickles or buffalo nickels anymore? Strangely I found a indian head buffalo nickle in pocket change the other day, so I was inspired to get the nickles..

The going is slow, much slower than pennies, the dates are harder to see, etc.. Need tips on nickles, and reports of finds for inspiration! Will let you know the results as I go.. 3 rolls in, nothing... except $6.00

 

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[Bigj5731]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Buffalo Nickels and War Nickels are still found. I average about 2 war nickels every 5 boxes or so. It all depends on your luck and how much time you want to put into finding these things. Since you cant rim search them you have to look at each one individually.

good Luck on your Nickel Search!!!


-bigJ

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Thanks for the quick reply... THat's alot of nickles to search for so few war nickles.. But until I find at least one, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to stop.. And an indian nickle woul djust be a huge bonus.

Anyone else out there?

$8 in, and just pulled a nice ef-40 1941 valued a about 15 cents

 

[Ltrain]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

I average a buff and a war per $100 box. Tips? Not many, they're a grind...

After 1989, most nickels are lower relief... I can quickly split out the newer ones, and my eyes have become trained to somehow see slight differences in wear patterns to help differentiate decades. I keep any that are 1960 and lower, as well as the wars and buffs, obv.

If you're just gunning for war nicks and buffalos, flip them over to the obverse and look for the mintmark... or the Buffalo nickel reverse.

It should be noted that I don't gun for 100% accuracy at pulling 1960 and earlier years. I'd be happy with 90% accuracy. War nickels and buffalos, I'm pretty positive I've gotten every one. Keep your eyes open for the "key" Jeffersons, the 38D & S, 39D & S (Found one the other day!) and the 50D.

EDIT: Oh! If you're checking each one out, pull the ones with 5 or 6 full steps. They'll always command a decent premium.

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice + question

Quick question- so I'm thinking about just searching them by eye for all the silvers.. they stand out I'm sure... then later if I get bored I can date search... or just roll em up. Anyone think this is a good idea?

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

I average a buff and a war per $100 box. Tips? Not many, they're a grind...

After 1989, most nickels are lower relief... I can quickly split out the newer ones, and my eyes have become trained to somehow see slight differences in wear patterns to help differentiate decades. I keep any that are 1960 and lower, as well as the wars and buffs, obv.

If you're just gunning for war nicks and buffalos, flip them over to the obverse and look for the mintmark... or the Buffalo nickel reverse.

It should be noted that I don't gun for 100% accuracy at pulling 1960 and earlier years. I'd be happy with 90% accuracy. War nickels and buffalos, I'm pretty positive I've gotten every one. Keep your eyes open for the "key" Jeffersons, the 38D & S, 39D & S (Found one the other day!) and the 50D.

EDIT: Oh! If you're checking each one out, pull the ones with 5 or 6 full steps. They'll always command a decent premium.

Very solid advice thanks.. ANd yeah I see what you mean about the steps... As I'm itching to get to these two boxes of pennies, I may forsake the pre 1960's... But I'd hate to miss a 1930's...
Thanks again

 

[Ltrain]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Very solid advice thanks.. ANd yeah I see what you mean about the steps... As I'm itching to get to these two boxes of pennies, I may forsake the pre 1960's... But I'd hate to miss a 1930's...
Thanks again

I bang out rolls in about 30 seconds, start to finish... just practice at it and you'll be able to get through them fast.

 

[yan hipitan]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Buffalo Nickels and War Nickels are still found. I average about 2 war nickels every 5 boxes or so. It all depends on your luck and how much time you want to put into finding these things. Since you cant rim search them you have to look at each one individually.

good Luck on your Nickel Search!!!


-bigJ

I actually average about 2-3 war nickels and 1 Buffalo per box. I have found about 10 buffalo's and 30-35 war nickels and even 6 "V" nickels in about 11 or 12 boxes of nickels. And roughly 30-40 pre-1960 per box. No 1950-D yet though.

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Heres a chart I found for the value of nickles.. prices seem low but it does point out which ones are important.

1938 0.30 1973 0.05
1938-D 0.90 1973-D 0.05
1938-S 1.15 1974 0.05
1939 0.25 1974-D 0.05
1939-D 3.85 1975 0.05
1939-S 1.40 1975-D 0.05
1940 0.10 1976 0.05
1940-D 0.10 1976-D 0.05
1940-S 0.10 1977 0.05
1941 0.10 1977-D 0.05
1941-D 0.10 1978 0.05
1941-S 0.10 1978-D 0.05
1942 0.10 1979 0.05
1942-D 0.40 1979-D 0.05
1942-P 0.50 1980-P 0.05
1942-S 0.50 1980-D 0.05
1943-D 0.60 1981-P 0.05
1943-P 0.40 1981-D 0.05
1943-S 0.40 1982-P 0.05
1944-D 0.40 1982-D 0.05
1944-P 0.40 1983-P 0.05
1944-S 0.40 1983-D 0.05
1945-D 0.40 1984-P 0.05
1945-P 0.40 1984-D 0.05
1945-S 0.40 1985-P 0.05
1946 0.05 1985-D 0.05
1946-D 0.05 1986-P 0.05
1946-S 0.08 1986-D 0.05
1947 0.05 1987-P 0.05
1947-D 0.05 1987-D 0.05
1947-S 0.08 1988-P 0.05
1948 0.05 1988-D 0.05
1948-D 0.06 1989-P 0.05
1948-S 0.10 1989-D 0.05
1949 0.05 1990-P 0.05
1949-D 0.05 1990-D 0.05
1949-S 0.10 1991-P 0.05
1950 0.10 1991-D 0.05
1950-D 3.25 1992-P 0.05
1951 0.06 1992-D 0.05
1951-D 0.07 1993-P 0.05
1951-S 0.15 1993-D 0.05
1952 0.05 1994-P 0.05
1952-D 0.05 1994-D 0.05
1952-S 0.06 1995-P 0.05
1953 0.05 1995-D 0.05
1953-D 0.05 1996-P 0.05
1953-S 0.08 1996-D 0.05
1954 0.05 1997-P 0.05
1954-D 0.05 1997-D 0.05
1954-S 0.05 1998-P 0.05
1955 0.10 1998-D 0.05
1955-D 0.05 1999-P 0.05
1956 0.05 1999-D 0.05
1956-D 0.05 2000-P 0.05
1957 0.05 2000-D 0.05
1957-D 0.05 2001-P 0.05
1958 0.06 2001-D 0.05
1958-D 0.05 2002-P 0.05
1959 0.05 2002-D 0.05
1959-D 0.05 2003-P 0.05
1960 0.05 2003-D 0.05
1960-D 0.05 2004-P Handshake Rev. 0.05
1961 0.05 2004-D Handshake Rev. 0.05
1961-D 0.05 2004-P Keelboat Rev. 0.05
1962 0.05 2004-D Keelboat Rev. 0.05
1962-D 0.05 2005-P Bison Rev. 0.05
1963 0.05 2005-D Bison Rev. 0.05
1963-D 0.05 2005-P Ocean Rev. 0.05
1964 0.05 2005-D Ocean Rev. 0.05
1964-D 0.05 2006-P Facing Portrait 0.05
1965 0.05 2006-D Facing Portrait 0.05
1966 0.05
1967 0.05
1968-D 0.05
1968-S 0.05
1969-D 0.05
1969-S 0.05
1970-D 0.05
1970-S 0.05
1971 0.10
1971-D 0.05
1972 0.05
1972-D 0.05



Well mostly depressing, compared to pennies, but I'm enjoying the change( punds intended ) and I"m $16 in and I like that the money stacks up faster... $25 for a box of pennies by hand SEEMS to be a bad ratio, but it's the best return , IMO, besides half dollars( which I can never afford)

 

[Bigj5731]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Silver nickels also look like regular nickels. Usually a little darker. Its very hard to search by just checking the rims. A lot of the time the dark ones aren't silver, even though they look like they should be.

-bigJ

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

I think I hear the box telling me there is a war nickle in there... I'm hearing a box of nickles! I've gone mad!

 

[Bigj5731]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

the best days are when you start hearing Indian Chants! Then you know there is a buffalo in there!!


-bigJ

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

Haha!

Well, I'm $50 in and only a few pre 60's to speak of. I will be sure to post here the exact dates and mints of all the "keepers" I pull.

I decided to be thourough and look at each and every date, by eye.. I'm down to like a couple minutes per roll to unwrap, search and re-roll..

I need to deposit these nickles tommorow to pay for my tux rental this weekend

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice

been noticing an overwhelming numbe rof 1964's out of all of the pre 70's.. Maybe it's just the area... Still going strong... Must.. finish.. and report.. this box..

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice- update stats to come

Ugh, $30 out of $100 left to go, and I must take a break Reports to come

 

[apush]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice- update stats to come

Yesterday I picked up one box of nickels. Found 1 dated buff and 4 War Nickels. A good box for nicks.

Hope you find twice as many. And, welcome.

apush

 

[ArkhamHouse]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice- update stats to come

I only search nickels. My goal is to complete a set 1938-1961 from circulation. I have found all except the 1938-D, 1938-S, 1939-D, 1939-S, 1944-S, 1945-D, 1945-S, 1950-D.

Having searched 62,000 nickels, I have found 16 War nickels, which works out to about one for every two $100 boxes. I have also found four Buffaloes, one undated type 1, one undated type 2, and two dated type 2. Also two Liberty Heads, a poor 1902 and a nice VG or so 1910. Also three modern (S mint mark) proof Jeffersons, and 613 pre-1960 coins. Also the occasional foreign coin, and cents or dimes, usually a cent, in place of a nickel.

Happy hunting.


-Arkham House

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice- update stats to come

THanks apush and arkham !!!

Well I'm off to the library for now... But I like how CRH is a gamble, but, at the end you always end up with at least or more than you started... Unless you CRH on the back of a raging bull riding through dallas, you'll most likely not drop any coins that you can't recover!

Well, To be honest, penny coin roll hunting is soo much funner to me than nickles, but it's all different. I didn't hav eenough for the box of dimes.l.. maybe next time :L)(

Keep it up!

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice- update stats to come

Question: Do the war nickles also weigh 5 grams like all the others? I don't have a sample on hand to test.
What's really sad is that I realized i spent around $2 of war nickles back before i knew what they were, some 10 years ago when I was 16 or so.

 

[FiresEye]

Re: first box of nickels - need advice- update stats to come

WHat's amazing is, that a hard to spot coin like a war nickle would be more rare than a Ben Franklin half dollar... I guess the nickle hunters have to be even more hardcore than the penny guys... Since I'm mostly a penny hunter, I can say quite a bit on my experiences there... $8 to go, then then report!