I stepped out of my comfort zone today and purchased a buffalo nickel, I have planned on getting one common date that was a real looker. I found one today at a show but I am curious what makes the nickel grade high???Do they take strike in account??? I look at mine and it looks identical to the MS68 Gerald Forsythe has on his registry. Maybe there is something I am missing. FYI I bought it while waiting in line to get in the show. The coin never made it to the dealer stand. I knew this was the one I have been looking for. So before I send it in with high hopes Id like to hear what the Buffalo guys have to say about achieving high grades thanks JON
Your best bet is to post pics of the coin and let us see it. But yeah, everything matters. It's got to have a good strike, booming luster, few if any marks, excellent eye appeal and no hairlines.
ok the luster is amazing, it looks proof like. no hair lines and nicks at all..........im uploading cell phone pics right now and when the camera nazi (my wife) gets home ill take better pics.
Having issues with the cell camera trying to capture all the color but for now this is what i got.slight line at 11oclock is a die crack
I woulda bet $100 you were gonna post a '38. I'll tell ya right now, you'll be hard pressed to get it graded better than 65, 66 tops. And I don't even have to see the coin.
Beautiful Buffalo Jon. Nice sharp details, not many marks, buffalos horn is well defined, excellent luster. Should get a good grade of MS-64 to 66.
never mind......after reading your market grading thread i see the answer, oh well like i said the coin is for me and i purposely didn't go after a key date. no sense in spending that cash for a coin I only have one of. Thanks for the help
Because the '38s are most often very nice, just like yours. You'd havea harder time finding time finding one that graded 63 than you would finding one that graded 65/66.
Compare it closely to some on Heritage also. To look at some 68's go to auction history - there are some very nice coins to look at.
I see while I was on Heritage several more posts occured. Looks like a 65/66 to me and it will still be a nice coin and booming with luster.
While Doug is correct, maybe you can take solace in the fact that Q David Bowers considers MS65 the optimal collecting grade for the 1938-D Buffalo Nickel.
heres one that shows the toning.......Ill work long and hard tonight when she gets home with the camera.
She's on her way to NGC in the morning but for now i was wondering if anybody see's something going on with the mint mark??? I am not saying I exactly do but I am not a buffalo nickel expert so id like your opinions thanks:hug:
Well, it looks to be high MS. Hard to tell what the luster is exactly like from the pics. My avatar is a 38 D/S MS-66 that I found at a show. I compared it to a slabbed 65 that was there. The luster is just barely, slightly better on the 66. Out of the slabs, it'd be a close call. I think you almost have to look at them in various grades side by side as an example set to get an idea of how good they can be. The strike comes into play. The luster plays a role as well. 1938 was the last year and many people would have known this. Many were saved and kept in excellent condition as is often the case with last year of issues. As for the mint mark, I've heard of a D/D, a D/D/D variety and the D/S. It does look fat. Are you sure it's real? I can't say I've ever seen a die crack on one of these. I have seen a raised piece of metal (spikes) on fakes though. The Chinese are in the business of making these nowadays. I'd at least measure it with a caliper and weigh it. Some of the fakes are very good. The diameter should be exactly 21.2 mm. Buffalos are one of the most consistantly made coins I've ever measured. Very tight tolerance. Weight should be 5 grams. For starters. Look at the D closely under a high powered loupe. Look for the edges of other D's where it may have been re-punched.
i bought and sold quite a few 38D PCGS ms65 during the early 90's and most of them had the bright nickle color,paid $50 ea and sold them for $60 ea.
