Will the Jefferson Nickel Wake Up, in this Decade ?

Does anyone really know when this (Sleeper) will actually Jump out of bed, an Run with the rest of the pack? After all, the Jefferson Nickel been in a Deep-Coma, for many Decades now.

From what I've been seeing on Ebay just this last-year, (only my opinion,here) is that more new collectors are seeing Felix's Early Jeffersons,,,an' getting caught up in the frenzy of buying these coins.

There are alot of Jeff/Collectors out there ,that just specialize in certain types of Jeffs also, from Varietys',Proofs,Errors,Rpms' an' last but not least, the Full-Stepper's! So' with that' I would think, it might just be in this decade,before we start seeing increased-demand, especially for Jeff's already in slabbed holders. :secret:
:kewl:
So,,,, Whoever reads this, Cut'Loose your views on all this, especially the Ole'Seasoned, ones, that been with it for a long time.

 

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I don't see it and heres why,

I don't see it and heres why,

1. The mintages OMG what mintages!!!
2. Not a great design, I mean it's not as bad as Roosys, SBA's, Franklins,
Pres. dollars or Ikes but it's pretty bad.
3. Striking problems, if ever there was a worse choice for coinage it has to be nickle.
4. Ugly when circulated.

Now don't get me wrong I like a choice MS 1939 or a 1944 high grade and strike but as a series it leaves a lot to be desired - there might one day be a market for them but not in my life time in circ. condition.

 

IMO the Jeffersons will continue to slowly inch up
UNTIL
the design is discontinued.
Then there will be a jump, but probably not a big one.

Same thing with the Roosevelts.

 

I've got to agree with Kanga on this one. When budget allows I'll probably look for an extra set of war nickels in higher grades. Probably NGC or PCGS. I might go raw and then submit if the deal was right.

 

I like Jeffersons because I can afford to inexpensively assemble a collection in very high grades. There are not too many series in which you can assemble an uncirculated set for just a few hundred dollars. Also, the alloy tended to tone nicely, and if you're into toning, it's a great series.

I think eventually there will be enough collectors that prices will work their way up. When? I have no idea.

 

Maybe unfortuately true. Nickels as a rule are just not a great collector item except the famous Indian Head/Buffalo one.
Note the Shield Nickels. Nice and sort of expensive but some even with less than one million, just not expensive. Liberty Head Nickels are even worse. Except for the 1913, nothing really great there either.
Now as noted above, really lousy design. I dissagree here a little. I think it's worse than Franklins and Ikes. SBA's too are really a mess.
I know there are Jefferson Nickel people out there but not sure why. I just never met anyone that brags about them. I know one guy that does brag about his Roosevelt Dimes, but no one that brags about Jefferson Nickels.
And I guess there is that one great thing about them. Any kid can make a collection of them since none are to expensive.
I'm sure a Jefferson Nickel person will feel afended by this post and sorry but that is only my opinion.

 

Like Kanga said, until the design changes there won't be any more demand. And, even with demand, I don't see values going up much simply because they were minted in droves. Look at the lowest mintage with over 2.6 million minted. You can still pick one up in high MS grade more than half a century later for under $20. I suppose if you live another 200 years you might see some modest rise in value there.
Guy~

 

I am not offended that you don't like the Jefferson Nickel design, but I am little peeved that you don't recall that I brag about my Jefferson Nickel collection. I know we have never actually met, but I start at least one thread a month relating to my Jefferson Nickel registry set.

IMO, the design of the Jefferson Nickel is the best among the modern designs. Jefferson's bust is very powerful and the Monticello when fully struck is a wonderful sight. What I find is that anyone who spends a significant amount of time researching, learning, stuying, and collecting a particular series develops a taste for that series. T$ is a good example. He used to hate Jeffersons. After my constant birage of Jefferson photos, he developed an appreciation which has blossomed into a desire to start his own Jefferson Nickel collection. At first glance, the Jefferson Nickel series seems rather boring, but once fully explored there is no more diverse series in all of United States coins.

Let's examine the series a little more closely and consider the things that interest coin collectors such as rarity, eye appeal, varieties/errors, and strike. Almost every collector will state that they love rarity. The problem is that rarity is love/hate. Collectors would love to own a rare (key date) coin but they hate the fact that they can't afford them. The Jefferson Nickel series appeals to collectors of every financial background. It is possible to complete a circulated collection from pocket change, an album collection for a few hundred dollars, a premium gem certified collection for a few thousand dollars, and a top pop full step registry collection for over $100K. Many of the Jefferson Nickels out there are really unattractive, but due to the extremely high mintages, extensive searching will yield attractive examples for every date/mm. This is the backbone of my collection which is focused completely on eye appeal. Take a look at my registry set and you will see what I mean.



We must not forget about the variety collectors. There are plenty of doubled dies, RPM's, and extravagant errors to peak the interest of these collectors. The doubled Monticello 1939 DDR and the double eye 1943-P DDO are extremely impressive varities.

Strike has to be the most important aspect for most Jefferson Nickel collections. Collectors covet fully struck coins and most love strike designations. The difference between a well struck and poorly struck Jefferson is dramatic. Searching those common low value nickels to find a full step nickel worth a large premium excites many a collector.

Will the Jefferson Nickel series wake up? I don't know, but I sincerely hope so and I will do everything in my power to promote the series that I love. What I will say is that the majority of new entrants into the coin collection world are state quarter/modern collectors. Eventually, a significant portion of these modern collectors will graduate to the classic coinage. Those that do who have limited resources will be spread out amongst the affordable series such as IKE's, Franklins, Rosies, and of course Jeffersons. So my answer is yes, you will see increase demand for the series in this decade and prices for top pops will go up.

 

What would change to make them wake up ? What forces would drive that change ?

We gotta have good answers to both questions or the "sleeper" will keep on sleepin' - which I believe is true for almost all "sleepers".

 

Well, it may just be me, but IMHO the Jefferson nickel has a lot going for it and has held its value very well. Many coin series premiums have decreased during this time when people just don't have extra money to spend. The roaring prices have been to bullion content.

BTW, the Jeff design HAS changed! We just had the Westward Journey series and in 2006, we got a brand new portrait on the obverse. There will never again be a Jeff nickel of the old style. True, I wish they would have changed the reverse to another rendition of Monticello, but at least the portrait was changed. The original portrait of Jefferson is just as classic as the Lincoln cent.

This series has a lot of variety, with a key date (1939-D is over $100 in MS65 and over $500 in full steps), T1 and T2 step types in '38 and '39, major metal changes in the war nickel series, high priced overdates (1943/2) and double dies (double Monticello 1939, double eye 1943), and some ridiculously priced full steps nickels (1953-S is a $50 coin in MS65, but a $22,000 coin with full steps). So there's something for everyone, from the beginner to the expert.

And BTW, have you seen some of the PCGS prices for these "common" nickels? According to the PCGS price guide, a 2008-D Jeff with full steps sells for $600 in MS66!! Not exactly chump change there.

And since the nickel is not considered a precious metal, you can still find Jeffs from 1938 in circulation today. Even the Lincoln wheaties are hard to find circulating now.

Happy collecting.

Steve

 

I will gladly sell handfuls of MS-66 FS 2008-D Jeffersons to PCGS for 1/2 of their catalogued price.

 

I was also surprised at the 2008-D pricing, but this is a condition rarity. It seems like most of those coins were thrown into bins and bags with little care, so it's hard to find true MS66's. I wonder what the mint sets look like.

Just guessing, but I would expect to find lots of nicks on those coins, so true 66's are scarce.

Time to get roll searching and send them in to PCGS.

 

Just did a quick search on Teletrade to get some real world prices.

2008-D FS PD sets are selling for $55 to $60 in grade MS65.

One PCGS MS66 FS 2008-D did sell on Jan 3 for $500. It's part of a registry set.

 

2008-D MS66FS sold for $500 on Teletrade

Here's the Teletrade photo of that 2008-D MS66FS that sold at $500:

 

I think all the moderns awakened this past decade but it's gone mostly unnoticed among those who dislike moderns and it was so gradual the rest of us hardly noticed.

There were a mere a handfull of modern collectors back before 1999. It's true there aren't a lot more of "serious" collectors now but the differenxce is that there are now hundreds of thousands of people collecting nickels from pocket change now. The pool of collectors who might start is in the tens of millions. What does a state quarter collector do when he finishes his collection? Many will run down to Borders and buy a nickel or dime folder and start on it.

I think in this decade we'll see a lot of the modern series really come alive; they;ll be fleshed out and bones cast. We'll learn what excites the new breed of collector who'll be the backbone of the hobby in fifteen years.

All the moderns will come into their own. I wouldn't necessarily expectr new collectors to value the same coins the older ones did or collect the same way but they will be collecting and some of their collections will be moderns.

 

THIS is what makes this hobby great! True passion

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Well said and all quite true. But whether one's love is Colonial Currency, half-dimes, or the Noble Jefferson Nickel, THIS is how one had ought to feel about it.
Or leave it alone 'cause it ain't for you.

 

Wow, great post above and well said. As you can guess, I also collect Jeffs and now I'm finishing a collection of certified Ikes. Once youo learn about a series, even a modern series, there are opportunities there.

Thanks for the post by Lehigh and the re-post by RGJohn. Well said, and can be applied to any series with passion.

 

I wouldn't consider myself a Jefferson Nickel collector, but I have two sets within the series I consider very beautiful coins. One is the War Nickel complete set, and it appears they get more popular all the time. The other is the Westward Journey and Return to Monticello.

Both of these sets are to me very unique, beautiful, and affordable. Both of these sets are among my top favorites, and I love the way I display them.

 

I have a complete Jefferson Nickel and Roosevelt Dime collection with the lowest grades being MS 63 and I love them with the exception of the new obverse on the Jefferson Nickel. I'm currently in the process of trying to fill in the remaining holes in my Washington Quarter collection with high grade early dates. With the exception of the SBA and Sac dollar I like our modern coinage, although the cent needs to go back to the original Lincoln obverse from 09 IMO.

 

A Photo of my entire Jefferson Nickel Registry Set



Jeffersons are so boring that I know there wont be any requests for larger photos.