Hey everyone! I've owned this 1866 3 cent Nickel for over 10 years and just now have some questions. One, what would you grade it? Secondly, does it looked "cleaned"? Thirdly, do you all see the "Die clash" apparent on the Obverse? Does this add extra value in your opinion? I believe that I paid $25 on Ebay. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Double check with someone more in the know than me, but I think die clashes are kinda common for the whole series. I can't for the life of me remember where I read that, but it keeps coming to mind...
I want to say VF30. I'm not sure about the color with these photos. Clashes are common on nickel 3 cents.
My grade is VF-35, but most would call it EF these days. It’s got some odd toning which does not help the eye appeal aspect of the pieces. The lines on the “III” are virtually complete, which might prompt some to say “AU.” A coin doctor might fool with it for that reason, but I’d leave it alone. The clash marks a common for these coins. The mint had a tough time striking these pieces, and the mint employees didn’t like them. They called nickel, “the devil’s copper.”
Those parallel lines on the obverse say that it has been cleaned and a details coin IMO. VF-XF details.
It does appear to have an older cleaning and the clash mark is common for this variety, so it won't increase the value, IMHO. Here is mine with a clash.
