50,000 nickels

[scyther]

I recently finished searching my 25th box of nickels, which means I have searched 50,000 nickels. I've been saving all of the pre-1960s and keeping them separately in a bag to go through later. Since I reached 50,000 and the bag was getting close to full, I thought it would be a good time to look through them and put them in my Dansco album (I had also recently finished filling in everything there through 2012 other than the 2009 P, which I only have one of and it's in bad condition so I don't want to use it). Anyway, here is a list of all the pre-1960 nickels I found after searching 50,000 nickels:

(While looking through the 50s nickels, I found an additional 30 nickels, so these may have been counted twice, but I don't think so. I may have made some minor counting errors somewhere, but I think this is very close to accurate):

1938- 2
1938D- 2
1939- 24
1940- 45
1940D- 6
1940S- 5
1941- 39
1941D- 11
1941S- 13
1942- 13
1942P- 1
1942D- 2
1943P- 9
1943S- 4
1944P- 5
1945P- 3
1945S- 1
1946- 41
1946D- 11
1946S- 4
1947- 9
1947D- 12
1947S- 6
1948- 25
1948D- 11
1948S- 2
1949- 10
1949D- 3
1949S- 1
1950- 4
1951- 7
1951D- 3
1952- 19
1952D- 10
1952S- 5
1953- 7
1953D- 14
1953S- 6
1954- 11
1954D- 41
1954S- 7
1955- 1
1955D- 24
1956- 13
1956D- 27
1957- 8
1957D- 45
1958- 6
1958D- 68
1959- 9
1959D- 52

Now the only ones I don't have are 38S, 39D, 39S, 42S, 43D,44D, 44S, 45D, 50D, and 51S.

[plus1hdcp]

Great post, it seems we are on the same page as I too save pre 60 nickels. I haven't kept the same statistics you have but imagine my results are similar. Keep up the sorting and thanks for sharing.

[mtalbot_ca]

Great post, it seems we are on the same page as I too save pre 60 nickels. I haven't kept the same statistics you have but imagine my results are similar. Keep up the sorting and thanks for sharing.

+1, except I do the same in Canada.

[scyther]

Great post, it seems we are on the same page as I too save pre 60 nickels. I haven't kept the same statistics you have but imagine my results are similar. Keep up the sorting and thanks for sharing.

+1, except I do the same in Canada.

You don't save all the pre-82s?

[reddirtcoins]

Take me about $35,000 in nickels just to make a box of 38-49 and 50-59. (10- rolls of war nics) Normally about a years worth of searching.

[scyther]

Just found a 38 S today Lowest mintage one yet. Only 9 more to go!

[scyther]

Found a 44 D today First D mint war nickel. 8 left!

[SilverDragon72]

I have found about 10 war nickels after searching probably 2k worth during the last year, plus 4 2009-D.

1938s? Hmm....I believe that I have one or two of those!

[scyther]

I have found about 10 war nickels after searching probably 2k worth during the last year, plus 4 2009-D.

1938s? Hmm....I believe that I have one or two of those!

Do you save all those?

I've found about 25 war nickels in $2.9k searched. I've found 3 38D, which is surprising considering that there are coins with higher mintage that I've only found 1 (or 0) of...

[SilverDragon72]

I have found about 10 war nickels after searching probably 2k worth during the last year, plus 4 2009-D.

1938s? Hmm....I believe that I have one or two of those!

Do you save all those?

I've found about 25 war nickels in $2.9k searched. I've found 3 38D, which is surprising considering that there are coins with higher mintage that I've only found 1 (or 0) of...

I save everything that I find.

[ToothDoc]

Save the Nickel, it may be your best hope!!

[angel2004]

I recently finished searching my 25th box of nickels, which means I have searched 50,000 nickels. I've been saving all of the pre-1960s and keeping them separately in a bag to go through later. Since I reached 50,000 and the bag was getting close to full, I thought it would be a good time to look through them and put them in my Dansco album (I had also recently finished filling in everything there through 2012 other than the 2009 P, which I only have one of and it's in bad condition so I don't want to use it). Anyway, here is a list of all the pre-1960 nickels I found after searching 50,000 nickels:

(While looking through the 50s nickels, I found an additional 30 nickels, so these may have been counted twice, but I don't think so. I may have made some minor counting errors somewhere, but I think this is very close to accurate):

1938- 2
1938D- 2
1939- 24
1940- 45
1940D- 6
1940S- 5
1941- 39
1941D- 11
1941S- 13
1942- 13
1942P- 1
1942D- 2
1943P- 9
1943S- 4
1944P- 5
1945P- 3
1945S- 1
1946- 41
1946D- 11
1946S- 4
1947- 9
1947D- 12
1947S- 6
1948- 25
1948D- 11
1948S- 2
1949- 10
1949D- 3
1949S- 1
1950- 4
1951- 7
1951D- 3
1952- 19
1952D- 10
1952S- 5
1953- 7
1953D- 14
1953S- 6
1954- 11
1954D- 41
1954S- 7
1955- 1
1955D- 24
1956- 13
1956D- 27
1957- 8
1957D- 45
1958- 6
1958D- 68
1959- 9
1959D- 52

Now the only ones I don't have are 38S, 39D, 39S, 42S, 43D,44D, 44S, 45D, 50D, and 51S.

I have done a similar thing although not so many boxes! I still have to go through them and put in the 3 books I have as well.

[scyther]

In the last box I found a 1945 D and a 1942 S Unfortunately I think the latter has been cleaned, and it has some rather noticeable (though not very deep) scratches across the face. Not much wear, though, compared to most war nickels. Anyway, 6 left...

EDIT: I also found a 2009 P in pretty decent condition last week, so that hole's filled now too. And I did find both 2013 nickels. So I finally have everything from 1960-2013.

[mtalbot_ca]

Good work.

Usually the cleaning marks are on both side. Do you have a picture?

Cheers,

[scyther]

Good work.

Usually the cleaning marks are on both side. Do you have a picture?

Cheers,

The scratches aren't from cleaning, but it's oddly shiny and it just looks like it's been cleaned to me. And no I don't have a picture.

[scyther]

After more than 3 months without any new hole fillers, today I finally found... a 1939-D! Second lowest mintage in the series. I've been looking this whole time for the 1951-S (clearly the lowest hanging fruit right now, with the possible exception of the 2 war nickels, which are harder to judge since they're silver), so I was surprised to find this one instead. It's a little dirty and has a fairly large scrath on the hair area of the obverse, but other than that it looks pretty good. It clearly hasn't been in circulation all this time since 1939.

This last box brought me up to 110,000 nickels searched. I've been doing this so long it's hard to believe I still haven't searched half as many nickels as pennies, which I barely do at all anymore. I was seriously thinking of giving up soon and devoting more time to times, but now I feel encouraged to go at least to the end of the year.

5 more to go!

[scyther]

Does anyone think they're a significant risk of this being counterfeit? Despite being very hard to find in circulation, it's not a very valuable coin... it's probably safe to assume it's real, right?

[reddirtcoins]

I would say your're safe

[henrysmedford]

Does anyone think they're a significant risk of this being counterfeit? Despite being very hard to find in circulation, it's not a very valuable coin... it's probably safe to assume it's real, right?

Fun fact there are counterfeit 1944 no P out there. see--http://www.numismaticenquirer.com/TNE/Henning%20Counterfeit%20Nickel.html

Looks like there were some 1939 counterfeit nickel made. From the link.

An unofficial variety of the wartime coin dated 1944 was made in 1954 when counterfeit nickels were produced by Francis LeRoy Henning of Erial, New Jersey. He had previously been arrested for counterfeiting $5 bills.

The 1944 nickels were quickly spotted since Henning neglected to add the large mintmark of the Philidelphia mint (P). He also made counterfeit nickels dated 1939, 1946, 1947 and 1953.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 of Henning's nickels reached circulation. Henning dumped another 200,000 nickels in Copper Creek, New Jersey, of which only 14,000 were recovered. Another 200,000 are thought to have been dumped in the Schuylkill River.

When caught, Henning was sentenced to 3 years in jail, and had to pay a $5,000 fine.

[scyther]

Heh. I doubt I have a Henning nickel. And he probably didn't put mint marks on those 39s. It wouldn't make sense to do so. But I guess he might have done it anyway. He obviously didn't think it through very well...

[scyther]

Only one week after I found the first new coin in 3 months, I found another one... the 1951-S! Finally. I'm not surprised I found another one a week later. I kind of expected that, since I found a few in a short span before it went dry over the summer. It seems it goes in streaks. What did surprise me is that I found another 1951-S in the same box. Someone must have decided they weren't worth keeping. Both are in pretty decent condition, I think the first is a bit better and that's the one I'll put in the book. It has a bit of a "circle scratch" (those circular scratches from the rolling machines often seen on the ends of rolls) on the back, but it doesn't look bad. Actually, I kind of like the way it makes the "E PLURIBUS UNUM" shiny. Now the low hanging fruit is either the 39-S or the 44-S. The former at least I should be able to get. After that I might stop.

4 more to go!

EDIT: On further inspection, the second one was clearly of better quality, once I easily and (I hope) harmlessly scratched off a bit of material on the obverse with my fingernail. I put the first in the bag that holds all the coins that used to be in my collection, although technically this one never made it into the album.

[scyther]

By the way, I have a few duplicates of low-mintage Jefferson nickels in fairly decent condition (55 (P), 49-S, 38-S, 38-D, now 51-S). Are these worth anything? I could look up the values online, but those tend to be very unreliable. Would a coin shop pay 50 cents each for these?

[68Camaro]

I'm now filling my 4th book and could use the 38S, though not sure it's worth the fuss to ship for just one. But that means someone else is also looking for it. They've got some value so worth setting aside.

[scyther]

I'm now filling my 4th book and could use the 38S, though not sure it's worth the fuss to ship for just one. But that means someone else is also looking for it. They've got some value so worth setting aside.

Ok. I noticed in the other thread that you sort a lot more than I do. Sorry I may have asked you this before (I know I've talked to someone about this but I don't think it was you), but do you have all the dates? Other than 2009 P, which I know you said you don't have...

[68Camaro]

As it happens (see the tracking thread) I found the first 09P this weekend. But I'm still missing (in all albums) the same key date 50D. And I have a couple of others that are less key that I don't have filled in all of them.