Shield nickel

Think I finally found one don't have to be embarassed about lol... so hard to find decent coins online it seems.





No problems that I can see... no dents, scratches, discoloration, etc... toned a little dark but nickels tend to go that way anyway when they're this old... no details missing, I'd think this would go Fine, and if so, got quite a bargain on it.

Any thoughts?

 

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Sorry, but it looks corroded to me...Mike

p.s. there is no reason to be embarrased...we all have to learn somehow.

 

OK, where exactly is this "corrosion"? There's no pitting, no discoloration, just fairly even dark toning.

 

When/if you get the coin in-hand, I think you'll see evidence of the corrosion (pitting) all over the coin, particularly in the fields. I could be wrong, but I would wager I'm not...Mike

 

OK, but you've only seen the picture, and based on that you're saying you think it's corroded. What in the picture makes you think that? There's no pitting in evidence on the picture as far as I can see. If it's ont in the picture I seriously doubt it's on the coin, unless the picture's been altered, which I also see no evidence of.

What's your basis for saying you think it's corroded?

 

It looks corroded to me as well. A problem which is very common with Shield Nickels. I think it will still grade at least a net of G-4.

 

OK 2 people so far saying they think it looks corroded, 0 people saying why. Again, someone please answer WHY they think so, not just that they think so. I know what corrosion looks like and I'm not seeing any evidence of it in this picture. If someone here claims that they in fact do, explain what in the picture makes you think it's corroded.

 

Well, we do not have the coin in hand so the only thing we can go by are your pictures. To my eyes the coins surface looks pitted but maybe it is just a bad picture or a strange lighting effect. Also, I have a shield nickel that is corroded and your picture reminds me of the look of my own coin. But maybe it is just toning in the picture which is fooling us into thinking it is corrosion.

 

OK, fair enough... I have a coin in hand that looks like this picture, and it is not corroded. Dark toning and corrosion are hard to tell apart just from a picture (really need a 3D view to see if you're actually looking at pitting or just spotty toning).

Should be easy to tell whether or not it's corroded when I actually have the coin in hand. Will update here then. It doesn't look it to me based on the picture (I'll concede that it could be, but the picture alone is not solid enough evidence for me.)

Assuming for the sake of argument that it's not corroded, what grade would you give this?

 

I don't know anything about nickels. But I think the coin looks cool. I also haven't seen that many shield nickels. I really like the reverse with the darkish background and the brighter stars and text.

 

The "spotted" look of the toning is what is leading me to believe it is corroded.
If it were toning only, it would be more even over the coin.
I also suspect the coin will be pitted but the photos, being small, don't show this.

Think of it like this -- how many Jefferson nickels do you see with this spotted looking toning?

Again, I'm just going from 400x300 pictures and I certainly could be wrong, but I've seen enough corroded nickels in pictures and in-hand to feel confident in my assessment.

Respectfully...Mike

 

p.s. F or VF details sounds about right for a grade.

 

How many 142 year old Jefferson nickels have you seen? For all you know, they may very well end up looking like this.

I know at least one shield nickel has toning looking like this without being corroded, because I have one. In fact most circulated shield nickels I've ever seen end up looking this dark, and that doesn't automatically mean they're corroded.

 

With all due respect, it doesn't take 142 years for a Jefferson to corrode. The point I was making is that you don't see coins that tone like this through simple circulation, and it takes being stored in a corrosive environment for this to happen.

I suppose we'll just have to see what the coin looks like because, frankly, there's nothing you could say that would change my mind.

Please post your assessment when the coin arrives and/or pictures, and let's have this discussion again -- and for the record, I hope I am wrong....Mike

 

going solely by these photos I would have to say:


F-12 details corroded cleaned net G-4

 

The rough look of the of the obverse and reverse are what lead me to believe it was corroded, then cleaned, and has since retoned to what it is now. I could be way wrong, but that's my opinion. JMO. Not too bad looking though, I actually think it looks pretty neat. :thumb:

Phoenix

 

It looks to be corroded and I would bet it is going to look much darker in hand. I'm thinking the fields are going to look black.
The image was taken using a lot of light.

 

don't take everything the wrong way. its a nice old nickel, i would also give it a G-4 also.

 

Assuming it is not corroded it looks like a F-12. It is a nice coin and there are no shield nickels to be embarrassed about. I like them - so please post a picture after you have it in hand. That plastic around it may be causing some of the problems. And if you have another that looks like that - post a picture of it. I don't care what it looks like - shield nickels were the first thing I started collecting. Thanks for sharing!

 

Well I paid G-4 money for it, and with F details, I'm happy with it, and I don't think the dark toning, or corrosion, or whatever else you want to call it, detracts from the appearance signficantly. For being as dark as it is, the color is mostly uniform and it doesn't have any obvious pitting or discoloration to it. Perhaps the photo is just not very flattering to it. Again maybe I'm just more forgving than some, but I rate coins based on whether I myself find it appealing, not against some arbitrary scale someone else set up for the sake of pretending their subjective opinions constitute some objective fact. (Can probably tell I'm not a huge fan of slabbed coins).

BTW, all "toned" coins are "corroded" in chemical terms, but I don't see anyone badmouthing them. Which proves that "corrosion" is just fine with people if it fits within their subjective criteria as being attractive. I'm sure if this thing was all sort of bizarre colors like green, blue, red, and purple people would call it "monster toning" instead of "corrosion,' but since it's spotty black, I guess the pejorative applies. Well I can play that game too, and by my own subjective criteria I'll call this "darkly toned" rather than "corroded." How about "antiqued"?

Anyway don't read too negative a tone into this. I won't deny I get a little annoyed when I can't get people to see things the way I do, but I do concede that in the end, all opinions, my own included, are purely subjective in the end. If you're all willing to concede that too I guess we can reasonably get along.