Hey, Im looking to start a V Nickel collection. Im not looking for shiny specimens either, im actually gonna look for worn ones because I like the unknown history behind em. Anyway I was just wondering what the key dates are and if its an exspensive series to complete? Thanks, Augustine1992 PS, the picture below is the one I currently have in my collection
The 1885 is the key date and it is rather pricey. Even one in AG3 can be as much as $400 or more. The 1886 is also a semi key date. A rough one can cost in excess of $200 most of the rest are affordable for the most part.
hmmm, sounds like a nice challenge to find those two cheap lol. Thanks for the info. So the rest are pretty cheap? Like in the condition of the one I posted?
Everything from 1891 to 1912 D you should be able to find for $1- $5. The 1912 S is a semi key and you may have to spend over $100. 1883 has two types 1 with cents and one with out five cents on the back. 1884, 1887 1888 1889 should be $20 or less.
Not even close to that in the lower grades he's looking for. Here's a nice one on eBay right now with a BIN of $6.80 ($2.95 shipping): http://cgi.ebay.com/1912-D-VG-Liberty-Head-V-Nickel-US-Coin-/190555438344?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2c5dfd3d08 As far as the '86, there's a few low grade examples for under $100... here's a PCGS FR02 for $75 with free shipping: http://cgi.ebay.com/KEY-DATE-1886-LIBERTY-V-NICKEL-PCGS-GRADED-RARE-/260823842331?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item3cba4ffe1b And here's your '85 in a ANACS holder for $81.00: http://cgi.ebay.com/1885-LIBERTY-HE...70?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2312ae50b2 Most of the commons can be picked up in VG for less than a buck.
The 1885 is an auction and I am sure it will go more. The key is 1885 you can search for it on ebay to get prices ranges. Then the next two are 1886 and 1912-S, followed by the 12-D. Again look on ebay for price ranges or look at heritage realized prices. These are the 4 biggies - the prices jump exponentially as the grade increases.
Oops looks like I said 1912 D instead of 1912 S. I'm getting older and need new glasses! (Edited the other post)
Just out of curiosity, have you seen any decent grade v nickels in hand before? I ask because in my opinion they are pretty decent looking coins in the vf to ef range, but in g they have no aesthetic value. I would urge you to consider if you would really be happy with a sizable collection of very worn coins, because you may get pretty far into the collection and realize you like the nicer ones better. The worn ones do have more stories, but they also lack the artistic design and pleasure of higher grade coins. By the way, this happened to me with early date large cents. They are very expensive in nice grades, as in f12, which I could not afford. I started buying some low grade ag3 type coins and realized, after I spend quite a bit of money, that in the ag3 condition I could afford they were just lifeless hunks of copper. I moved into the late date large cents where I could buy decent ef examples for around the same price I could get g early dates, and I am much happier having a collection of coins which actually have detail. Just something to consider, and the nice thing about collecting is you only have yourself to please, so do what would make you happy.
For common date Liberty nickels, I suggest collecting them in Fine and Very Fine. These nickels are much harder to find with a full liberty and would be worth much more when selling. In fact, the entire series is reasonable in Fine with the exceptions of 1885-6. You can even get the 1912-S in Fine for under $300. However, the 1885 and 1886 might be too pricey there, so you would probably have to settle for Good for those dates. I wouldn't collect these at all unless I could get them in at least Good with a full rim, key dates and all.
That's funny - I was selling an 1886 in Fair not too long ago for $100 and found absolutely no takers...so I sold it to the local B&M for $75. I'll be listing a few on eBay within the next few weeks, or you could PM me to see if you want anything I have. .
