Why so many 1964 nickles?

[jersey junkie]

I went through $70 worth of rolled nickles and came out with 50 1964 coins. Why would there be 3.5% 1964 coins in those rolls? Is there something I'm missing?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Cry Of The Eagle: History And Legends Of The Cherokee Indians And Their Buried Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[jeff of pa]

1964 & 1964 D have over 2,000,000,000 Minted.

I Find more 64's with my detector

 

[jersey junkie]

2 billion no wonder thanks

 

[mchamby]

I agree, I find a lot of 1964's. I was going through 50.00 of nickles the other day and found two rolls of nothing but 64's, I guess someone was saving them and decided they wouldn't bother.
Mchamby

 

[Immy]

64's are also false alarms for pre-1960's too. If I never see another 64...

Yesterday's $35 in nicks -

1939 (keeper!)
1940
1941D
1946 (2)
1951
1953
1954D
1956
1957D
1958D

...and my first 2006D with the new Jeff. portrait!! Has anyone else found one?

 

[jeff of pa]

...and my first 2006D with the new Jeff. portrait!! Has anyone else found one?

Got my first one last weekend.

However mine is a P

 

[Klaatu]

1964 nickel production totals are:

Philadelphia - 1,028,622,762
Denver - 1,787,297,160
---------------------------
Total - 2,815,919,922 That's a LOT of nickels!!

Compare that to other years in the 1960s:
1960 - 57,107,602
1960D - 192,582,180
1961 - 76,668,244
1961D - 229,342,760
1962 - 100,602,019
1962D - 280,195,720
1963 - 178,851,645
1963D - 276,829,460
1965 - 136,131,380
1966 - 156,208,283
1967 - 107,325,800
1968D - 91,227,880
1968S - 103,437,510
1969D - 202,807,500
1969S - 123,099,631

The 1960s were chaotic for the Mint. Silver coins were replaced with clad coinage in 1965. There was a coin shortage that the Mint worked hard to overcome. The Mint discontinued mintmarks on coins in 1965 on the mistaken belief that would discourage coin collectors whom they blamed for the coin shortage; so coins minted in Denver or San Francisco were indistinguishable from coins minted in Philadelphia. The Mint resumed mintmarks in 1968.

When the production totals for the 1964 nickels was low late in 1964 concerns arose that the 1964 nickels would be hoarded by collectors increasing the coin shortage. Congress authorized the Mint to continue producing 1964 nickels in 1965. The Mint ended up producing over 2.8 Billion 1964 nickels.

Most of the 1965 - 1967 nickels were produced in Denver with no mintmark. Philadelphia stopped producing nickels entirely early in 1966 and did not resume nickel production until 1971.

It is a little known fact but all 5 1964-dated denominations continued to be minted in 1965 and even into 1966. 1964 silver half dollars continued to be struck in Philiadelphia and 1964-D silver dimes continued to be struck in Denver into early 1966. The San Francisco Mint was taken out of mothballs and put back to work producing over 15,000,000 1964 silver quarters in 1965 and over 4.6 million 1964 silver quarters in early 1966 - all without mintmarks! The San Francisco Mint also produced almost 200 million 1964 cents in 1965 - without mintmarks.

All 40% silver-clad business strike (for circulation) half dollars were minted in Denver 1965 to 1970 with the 1965 - 1967 having no mintmarks.

Your numismatic history lesson of the day is over. Class dismissed.

 

[Pennyworth]

WOW,thanks for all of the information Klaatu!

How long have you been collecting coins and are you
employed in any sort of coin related business? You are a wealth of knowledge.

Immy also has demonstrated his knowledge of coins and
knows where to find a lot of valuable information when questions arise.
Stoney56 has also been very helpful when I have coin questions.
I'm so glad there are so many knowledgeable and friendly people here.

I have probably searched about $500.00 in nickels and
have not found any from 1938. I see the mintage totals for each mint mark



for the 1938 nickels,but was wondering if this is normal and
how much more would you think I would need to search to find
at least one from this year? I'm not going to discontinue
searching nickels,just curious I guess.

Also, does anyone prefer buying the clear plastic wrapped nickels or
nickels wrapped in paper wrappers? Do you have better results with
one vs the other.

My nickel album is missing the following dates


1938/1938D/1938S/1939D/1939S/1940S/1942P/
1942S/1943D/1943S/1944D/1944S/1945P/1945D/
1945S/1950/1950D/1951S/1952S/1953S/1954S/1955.

I do realize the war nickels will take me a lot longer to find,
well at least I think so. I notice the mintage is low on these coins,
but is it possible to find most of them in cirruclation?

Yesterday I found a roll of 1960 and 1961 nickels, and a roll of 1959 and 1958. I put the majority of them back into circulation,and kept some of the 1959 and 1958. I was very luck to have found a Buffalo nickel yesterday,the date is not readable and one war nickel(1943P).

 

[Klaatu]

WOW,thanks for all of the information Klaatu!

How long have you been collecting coins and are you
employed in any sort of coin related business? You are a wealth of knowledge.

I have been collecting coins since 1964 when I got a Blue Book and coin folders for my birthday or Christmas (can't remember). The stamp collecting stuff I got gradually got ignored as I was naturally drawn to coins. At the time there was no such thing as clad coins so I was able to fill my dime, quarter and half folders with coins from circulation. I was able to find Wheat cents as far back as 1910, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes as far back as 1920 or so, Standing Liberty quarters and Walking Liberty halves back into the 1920s and even the teens. My grandfather was a barber and I was allowed to cherry pick from his change on occasion (as long as I reimbursed him for what I removed).

I am not a big time collector but I do own a few coins. I like to add to my collection as money allows but I do a lot more looking (and wishing) than buying. I wish I could go back in time and buy that BU $20 St Gaudens for $60, that Uncirculated 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent for $175 or that 1921 Peace dollar for $22.50 back in 1969 (try buying them today for 10X those prices).

I am more of a "type collector" as my interests in coins are very eclectic - I like 'em all! I am also somewhat of a history buff and there is a LOT of history to explore with US coins.

In 1986 I became a Life Member of ANA (American Numismatic Association). It is a very nice association to join if you are a coin collector and it is especially good for me since I live in the same city that they are located!

No, I am not employed in the coin business (although I can see myself becoming a small time dealer out of my home down the road).

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[ZumbroKid]

Thanks Klaatu, when i posted several months ago about them making them for more than one year, nobody bought it. You have been the only one i noticed has posted this fact.

 

[Immy]

Pennyworth, my guess is you're bound to find a 38 before long. The 19? million that were minted at the Philadelphia mint alone make it more common than the 58, 42D, 46S, 48S & 49S, all of which you already have. I think the age factor adds to their seemingly hard-to-find status.

I've found enough over the years to complete a roll and when I search on a consistant basis I average about five 38's per year. But I've gone months between sightings. That pales in comparison to the 39's. I'm working on my eighth roll of those!

Likewise thanks for the nice mention. If I don't know something off hand I'll look it up on my bookshelf and I'm more than happy to pass it on. Lots of times I learn something new myself. I've also found Klaatu to be a consistant source of valuable info.

 

[bottlecap]

Hello...I'd just like to chime in about how grateful I am that the "1964 nickel mystery" has finally been cleared up for me. In fact, that's pretty much the only reason I joined the forums today (though I am interested in the Beale Cipher, which may find me in other spots around these hallowed forums).

I, too, have come across a high preponderance of '64 nickels, though I'm only a coin collector in the very loosest sense of the term: I look through my loose change once in a while, and if a coin is more than thirty years old, I put it in a pill jar or film cannister. I have a few proof sets and things my dad gave me, though (he's the real coin collector of the family; at least he was many years ago--maybe I'll tell him about these forums to rekindle his interest).

Anyway, my curiosity about why there were so many finally made me do a Google today, and that's where I came across this thread. On a side note, while I was wondering about it, I pictured Jerry Seinfeld doing a routine about this very question:

What is the deal with all of the 1964 nickels? I go through my pockets, 90% of what comes out are 1964 nickels. Is that all they did that year, was make nickels? "We gotta make more nickels, hurry up! Pull the kids out of school, we need nickels! Nickels for America!!!"

All other industry came to a grinding halt--"Stop manufacturing those Edsels, boys, we're runnin' low on nickels! That's right, I want all three shifts on it...I wanna see nickels morning, noon and night!"

I don't get it...were people just really into gumballs that year? People shopping at the five-and-dime...did the dime suddenly become less important? "All dime items--now half-price!!!"

And for that matter, why is Jefferson, our second president, on the two-dollar bill, but the five-cent piece? Shouldn't James Madison, the fifth president, be on the nickel? And the five dollar bill? Put Washington on the penny, William McKinley on the quarter, and Lincoln on the new sixteen-cent piece and sixteen dollar bill! Less confusion all around!

 

[cylki2001]

Funnneeeee, Bottlecap.

 

[PBK]

And for that matter, why is Jefferson, our second president, on the two-dollar bill, but the five-cent piece? Shouldn't James Madison, the fifth president, be on the nickel? And the five dollar bill? Put Washington on the penny, William McKinley on the quarter, and Lincoln on the new sixteen-cent piece and sixteen dollar bill! Less confusion all around![/color]

Actually, Jefferson was our third president, succeeding John Adams. And James Madison was the fourth, not fifth; James Monroe was fifth.

Nevertheless... funny stuff!

 

[bottlecap]

Dang...I was too obsessed with comedy to get my facts straight...just like "The Daily Show." Thanks for the correction. I had to look up McKinley, but apparently some sources put him as the 24th president (not wanting to count Grover Cleveland twice), and Teddy Roosevelt as the 25th.

Say, what about putting Teddy on a coin and/or a bill? He's the only Mt. Rushmore guy not on one (unless there's one of those three-dollar bronze medals with him on it. I think we should dump Hamilton for him, or maybe put him on the back of the dime with his distant cousin/uncle-in-law (although that would make heads or tails a lot more difficult with that coin).

 

[goldinmypan]

bottlecap or make that beer bottlecap. Stick around you're a riot.

 

[PBK]

Stick around you're a riot.

What he said, and double it. Glad to have you with us... but don't take any of those $16 bills!

 

[EDDE]

this guys funny......