Realcent.org

Thinking about starting to search american nickels, I like the fact that even the 2011s have actual metalic value. I'm just wondering how common war nickels are if I get boxes from the bank? Is a $100 box the standard size? How many war nickels might I expect to find in a box, or, am I lucky to even get one?

Obviously YMMV, but I'm just curious...

A box is $100. This year I am averaging about 1 war nickel per box. I do 1-2 boxes a week. I had a skunk box last night, but a few nights ago I had a box with 3. Also get a buffalo about every 3rd box.

Sounds about right. I haven't sorted that many boxes, but my stats were equal to NHsorter's.

Just buy and stack. The Alloy Recovery program that Canada is heartily pursuing should give you an idea of where it is going. The "Request For Comment" from the mint back in March tells me that the composition will be changed within 2 years.
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(I think Realcent members should pool $50/mo and corner the "nickels market")

WizardTN wrote:Just buy and stack.

That's an issue I struggle with. Right now I see pennies as being the better investment. I don't have enough cash on hand to just hoard piles of metal. To get the same return on nickels as pennies, I'd have to get 15 cents/nickel vs just 3 cents for a penny.

I'm just curious, how many nickel "nickels" are left in circulation in Canada even with the alloy recovery program? How quickly did they disappear?

It's a matter of allocating resources and setting priorities. I am on a fixed income (SS), luckily my home is paid off and I have no credit card debt.
When my monthly check arrives, a fixed budgeted amount goes into the joint account to cover all expenses. The rest is my "play" money and is roughly allocated to 1/3 prep supplies, 1/3 silver accumulation, 1/3 penny & nickel accumulation. You dont have to get a $100 brick, just a few rolls at a time adds up over time.
My view on nickels is this: It is CuNiBullion that I can buy right now @ about 80% of market value. The federal gov't has very nicely mfg these well hallmarked little rounds and fixed the price so that I can keep buying them at that fixed price no matter what happens to the markets. They have a built in "stop loss" factor that says I can always get back what I paid for them in FRN's.

The small flat rate box you can get for free from the post office holds 50 dollars in 2 dollar rolls quite nicely. fill one up, seal it and start another.

They stack quite well.

Number21 wrote:

WizardTN wrote:Just buy and stack.

That's an issue I struggle with. Right now I see pennies as being the better investment. I don't have enough cash on hand to just hoard piles of metal. To get the same return on nickels as pennies, I'd have to get 15 cents/nickel vs just 3 cents for a penny.

I'm just curious, how many nickel "nickels" are left in circulation in Canada even with the alloy recovery program? How quickly did they disappear?

Hi there,

I would say, after 29 years from the last .999 nickel produced, and god knows how many years of the Alloy Recovery Program, the average found in circulation is in my area around 22%, but some areas are far worst.

Cheers,

WizardTN provides good advice. Start somewhere, don't be concerned with how small you start, just start. It will add up over time. I am in a position where I buy one brick per week, but that is for as long as I have a job. In this economy with the current administration, nobody knows if they will have a job tomorrow. Just be consistent with what you hoard, and when you can afford more, buy more. I like diversification, so I hoard Cu and Ni and of course try to obtain as much gold and silver that I can.

As far as the Canadian program, I am not sure what their return has been. I have seen figures in the past here on RC on just how much the program has recovered in nickel. I am hesitant to give you a figure because I don't remember, but I seem to recall the Canadian government indicating it had recovered millions in dollars of course of nickel. Hope that helps. You can find this info on the internet. I believe it is called the Canadian alloy recovery program...try googling it.

WizardTN wrote:______________________________________________
(I think Realcent members should pool $50/mo and corner the "nickels market")

This would make for an interesting contest and a new thread to track participants monthly expenditure on nickels. I am in, so that makes two of us. I already buy $400 a month in nickels. Any interest from other RC'ers???

I buy on average $10 a week. Its small potatoes of course, but then I 've been doing it for over two years. I would guess that about 50 RC'ers are buying at least that much.

John Rawls of survivalblog.com thinks we have a few years at most to accumulate nickels. http://www.survivalblog.com/nickels.html Personally, I think he's a little optimistic. At some point (probably early to mid 2012) I believe banks will restrict the sale of nickels (along with pennies) to commercial accounts and then not too long after that only to approved retail businesses.

theo wrote:I buy on average $10 a week. Its small potatoes of course, but then I 've been doing it for over two years. I would guess that about 50 RC'ers are buying at least that much.

John Rawls of survivalblog.com thinks we have a few years at most to accumulate nickels. http://www.survivalblog.com/nickels.html Personally, I think he's a little optimistic. At some point (probably early to mid 2012) I believe banks will restrict the sale of nickels (along with pennies) to commercial accounts and then not too long after that only to approved retail businesses.

Unfortunately, I think you might be right. Especially with how the economy is going down and umemployment up...the tyrants are going to try and squeeze the little guy with inflation and taxes, and they will probably further debase our coins to cut costs and increase profit. I applaud you for putting $10 a week aside! I am of the firm belief that a little over time becomes quite a good hoard, it just takes patience and consistency. I believe this will be well worth your effort. Hindsight is 20/20 but I think we may all look back and say man why didn't I hoard more.

WizardTN wrote:It's a matter of allocating resources and setting priorities. I am on a fixed income (SS), luckily my home is paid off and I have no credit card debt.
When my monthly check arrives, a fixed budgeted amount goes into the joint account to cover all expenses. The rest is my "play" money and is roughly allocated to 1/3 prep supplies, 1/3 silver accumulation, 1/3 penny & nickel accumulation. You dont have to get a $100 brick, just a few rolls at a time adds up over time.
My view on nickels is this: It is CuNiBullion that I can buy right now @ about 80% of market value. The federal gov't has very nicely mfg these well hallmarked little rounds and fixed the price so that I can keep buying them at that fixed price no matter what happens to the markets. They have a built in "stop loss" factor that says I can always get back what I paid for them in FRN's.

The small flat rate box you can get for free from the post office holds 50 dollars in 2 dollar rolls quite nicely. fill one up, seal it and start another.

They stack quite well.

I see what you're saying, but isn't it a better investment of my money to go with copper pennies instead of nickels? Isn't that a higher return per coin, at least right now? Of course, pennies have to be sorted, nickels don't....

That is where it becomes your call. I have plenty of time to sort, yet I still like the idea of buying something for 80% of market and have to do nothing to it. That is why I split my resources in that area. Of the base metals, nickel has performed best of all over 30 years. That appeals to me personally.
Do what appeals to you.

I buy boxes of nickels just to pull out war nickels and nickels of numistmatic value for now...average 1 war per box,best box had 4.I cant afford to keep em all,so I slowly slowly hoard all pre 1960s and put the rest back into circulation. If I had more capital,id stack bricks,but I need to keep recycling my coin roll searching funds for now.

$100 bricks of nickels make great ballast in my gun safe. I keep the same amount in there, but rotate my stock when I feel energetic. I check the contents of some I've had for awhile. I have my own code for the date I acquired the brick or loose rolls from the bank teller.

I average 2 war nickels per box (i.e. 1-4... usually only 1). But, that's when I'm able to get a box that isn't all new nickels (I seem to get 3 boxes of 2011 nickels for every 1 box of mixed). For CWR, I average 1 war nickel per ~$75.

If you want to start hoarding nickels, but only have the funds to do it "small scale," then maybe just save pre-60's nickels as you sort. That way you'll be adding a couple nickels to your nickel hoard, it will make sorting a bit more fun than simply looking for silver, and maybe one day those pre-60's might command a premium of some sort. It also allows you to turn in nickels to buy more to sort more (all while saving some).

Over time, it should begin to add up.

Everybody talks about pre '60 nickels like they're silver or something...what makes them so special? Just 'cause they're older than other nickels? Is there any physical difference in composition or stamping?

Number21 wrote:Everybody talks about pre '60 nickels like they're silver or something...what makes them so special? Just 'cause they're older than other nickels?

I can't speak for others, but the only reason I save them is in case they ever have a premium over other nickels (which, I think in 20 years there will be a chance that they’ll command a modest premium above newer nickels -- much like 1930's wheats command a modest premium above 40's & 50's wheats). I save '59 and earlier. I think most guys save '58 and earlier (to coincide with Wheats).

In the end, the only thing that makes them “special” is that some of us are saving them. You’d have a difficult time (although there are people out there) getting someone to pay above face value for circulated common date pre-60 nickels. If all else fails, and pre-60 nickels never gain a premium, they'll still be worth at least 5 cents each.

Is there any physical difference in composition or stamping?

Nope (sans war nickels).

I have similar results with nicks. I do find that I can get a premium for the 40s' and 50s' of about $1 to $1.50 per roll, but only when I have several rolls. The premium is similar to that from IKEs. Remember that Craigslist can be your friend.

WizardTN wrote:Just buy and stack. The Alloy Recovery program that Canada is heartily pursuing should give you an idea of where it is going. The "Request For Comment" from the mint back in March tells me that the composition will be changed within 2 years.
______________________________________________
(I think Realcent members should pool $50/mo and corner the "nickels market")

The problem with that graph is that it starts in 1980 when gold was topping, then measures "relative performance" from then onward. ANY other point in history would result in a very different graph.

I hand sort about $100/month and also get about 1 war nickel per box.

My friend got one Friday in change from lunch.

I'm curious as to why the mint didn't pull all nickels out of circulation when it was $25/lb.

7c/ea is nice , but 10c-12c would be even better!

how long ago was it at 25/lb?

Late 07 to early 08