Saving older Jefferson nickels?

[jb7487]

I've seen some people posting on here about saving Jefferson nickels that are older than 1960. What is the reason behind this? Is it just that they are more rare and are therefore worth a little more or is there some difference in composition?

Can anyone elaborate on this? I've searched all over the web and every source I see says that pretty much all Jefferson nickels are the same value (except for key dates and war nickels).

 

[jrf30]

Most keep them just for the heck of it. NIce to find them. And hope that someday they will be worth more.

But there was no change in composition since 1946 (End of the silver war nickels) and no special reason to really keep them.

That said, I'm working on getting a full box of pre 1960 nickels ... just for the heck of it. :-)

 

[jb7487]

I see. Thanks for the info.

 

[mistergee]

also they are at least 50 yrs old.

 

[jrf30]

also they are at least 50 yrs old.

So am I! Does that make me a keeper? :-)

 

[snappy]

also they are at least 50 yrs old.

So am I! Does that make me a keeper? :-)

I don't know ask your wife and kids they might think so.

 

[timbobwey]

I bet if you sold rolls of pre-60 nickels on ebay they would go for double face value... not a huge money maker, but you never know if they will go up in value.

 

[cyberdan]

I bet if you sold rolls of pre-60 nickels on ebay they would go for double face value... not a huge money maker, but you never know if they will go up in value.

nope, tried that lost money and then had to pay the fees.

 

[Diver_Down]

I bet if you sold rolls of pre-60 nickels on ebay they would go for double face value... not a huge money maker, but you never know if they will go up in value.

I wouldn't bother. I had accumulated many rolls from buying other collector's collections (think hotel scam buyers). The nickel rolls were all of 3 and 4 step quality. They weren't culled from coin roll hunting. Tried selling them on eBay. Some went for a slight premium over face, but after paying fees, I was selling them close to face value. Instead of holding onto them and waiting several generations for them to appreciate in value, they were fed to the wild. I kept a few of the best 4 steps, but the rest are gone.

 

[Goes4ever]

well I just checked ebay for completed auctions, I did a search for "pre 1960 nickels"
here is what i found

this auction was for 75 pre 1960 nickels, sold for $19.75 and $5.99 shipping
that is 26 cents each BEFORE shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pre-1960-Jeffer...mQQptZCoins_US_Individual?hash=item27aeb9a05a

second auction is for 200 pre 1960 nickels, sold for $28 plus $6.75 shipping that is 14 cents per nickel before shipping.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-of-200-Pre-...mQQptZCoins_US_Individual?hash=item2eaa84f88f

 

[Coins4Cheese]

I save pre-1960 nickels just for the heck of it. If I don't find any war nickels, Buffalo's, etc, pre-1960 nickels will make me feel that I've actually found something. Plus, if they don't increase in value, just return them to the bank, and you'll get your money right back! What can you loose?

 

[Jimmy@romega]

Actually believe it or not that jefferson nickels are different and most CRHers haven't spotted it yet. The older pre-1970's nickels are more beveled as in there is more depth newer ones are more flat. Mint marks changed from reverse to obverse also it looks that they used different dies in the mid 90's the hair lines are more detailed.
And as for collective value it all depends on the grade (FS) there are some collectors who would pay a few bucks for a (FS) jefferson nickel. But as far as CHRing you probably wasting your time trying to make a profit. I have around 30-40 pre-60 nickels most of them been found in change or vending machines.

 

[jb7487]

The reason why I asked was because I had gone through a bunch of change and found about a dozen pre-1960 nickels. I was debating on keeping them but wanted to know why they might have value. I agree that someone might want to give you 10 cents for certain dates just to fill out a collection. But hoarding them isn't going to make you any money.

It's funny, no sooner had I made the original post but my neighbor came down with an old chest that his 90 year old grandma has been filling with coins since the 50's. She has a couple of rolls of really old Jeffersons. Some go back to 1938. Lot's of old wheat pennies along with a handful of silver coins here and there. It was fun to look at and the kids got to see some coins they've never seen before (IH's, buffalos, mercs, 90% silver halves, large canadian cents, and liberty nickels). But the total value is probably worth only about $150. It just goes to show that throwing spare change into a bowl isn't going to net you a ton of cash in the end. But you could have a nice collector's piece that your grandkids can enjoy opening up now and then to show to their kids (and so on, and so on).

Thanks for the info.