1937D 3-legged Buffalo - worth conserving?..

Hi all
Here is a picture of my 1937D Buffalo Nickel which I believe is the 3-legged variety. As you can see, it is a little "messed up." I am unsure how to grade this and if I sent it to ICG, do you think they would be able to "conserve" it to where it would make a difference? Many thanks!

 

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Dunno...ask Skip @Insider

 

That's a toughy - hopefully Insider responds - you might also just email their customer service folks, maybe even with a picture - they've been really responsive to me (not on conservation issues) in the past. I have sent coins in to ICG requesting conservation that they declined to conserve (they were rough, lol, not much you can do with some issues) - I've also had some they did conserve that I was quite pleased with. ICG is good at this stuff and I love the CoinTalk discount and their prices in general.

 

Selfish me, I really like the 3Legs





This is the reverse of one. It was often 'manufactured" and indicated such.

Jim

 

I’m sorry to say that I do not see a D mint mark. I dose a 1937 and 3 legs on the Buffalo. I’m thinking you saw the 3 legs and got excited. I’m also thinking the coin was altered. Please check again and tell me if I’m mistaken.

 

It doesn't have a (D) mint mark and the area is highly suspicious.Can you get better pictures of the missing leg.That corrosion has seriously taken over and can't be reversed also.

 

Kind of hard to tell but there's a corrosion pit right where the mint mark would be.I think I might see some remains but it's to hard to tell,better pictures are needed.

 

I see King George.

 

I get that lol I'm just so drunk and what a amazing game that was,they deserve this finally.

 

Hi - thanks for the comments. Below is a close up of the "D" and the missing leg under different lighting conditions and at a different angle. As you can see, the "D" is there and the 4th leg isn't. So, 1) is this worth "conserving" and 2) when a fellow member asks for close up picture, is it best to continue under the existing thread (like here) or to start a new thread? Appreciate it!

 

Yes to conservation. Yes continue the same thread with new photos.

 

Looks good to me now and yes to conserve,it looks much better.

 

If your planning on keeping it IGC wouldn't be a problem.But if your planning on selling NGC or PCGS will help more despite condition issues.

 

@AtlantaMan ..... This comment isn't specific to this buffalo. More to the overall collection that has been passed down to you..... When your pop was collecting these fine coins, slabbing and third party graders didn't exist so the overall collection makes sense. But here's what you are going to be faced with in today's collecting environment... You see, our hobby has been inundated with phony Chinese counterfeits of many of the fine pieces you have shown us. This has made the modern collector very cautious. I am afraid if you don't invest the time and expense to have these pieces slabbed that you will face a lot of push-back from today's coin buyers. And again I would suggest to you that ICG makes the process extremely simple and inexpensive. You may want to take a look at their website, www.icgcoin.com.

 

@AtlantaMan, were these coins stored in a garage or an attic? It seems like a number of them are damaged from environmental issues.

I am posing this question with an eye toward warning other family members who might inherit a collection. Where you store the coins really matters.

Even gold coins can get screwed up. When I was a dealer, another dealer had some modern commemorative coins from the 1990s that had been stored in an attic space in Florida. The coins had been cooked to such an extent that even the gold pieces were messed up.

 

I liked your comments, because it is excellent general advice, however, I am still of the same opinion I previously posted.
The 37D reinforces my opinion (to myself).

I do not agree that it is genuine.

 

I think that spending funds to conserve this piece is a waste of money. The coin is pitted and badly damaged. The conservation will only remove the corrosion; it will not fix the surfaces.

I view the 1937-D Three Legged Buffalo Nickel as one of the most overrated coins in the U.S. series. When I was dealer, finding one was no problem. All that mattered was the price. If you could buy a certified AU for $1,100 or $1,200 from another dealer, making a quite $100 mark-up was easy.

This is a coin that one can always find in nice grades, like EF and AU. That makes the damaged examples hard to sell.

 

Lets see a close up of the back leg.
I am not positive on authenticity either.
The MM look and position is close, but looks off. I think it is altered.

 

This looks different than the first photos attached. I still thinks it’s been altered. Even if it’s original it’s not worth the cost to conserve it.

 

Good advice Randy!