Jefferson Nickels - The Raw Story- image spam :)

There are so many ways to collect coins.
Some people buy only graded coins and play the registry game, while others, like myself, mostly only go after raw and inexpensive coins.
There is no right or wrong way to collect. It's all about the enjoyment you get while doing it and what you can afford to collect.
Who knows, if I could afford it, I very well could be a registry quality collector.
In the meantime, I just enjoy the hobby and the chase to find fantastic raw coins.

Today I am speaking of Jefferson nickels specifically.
One of the best feelings when collecting raw Jeff's, is the excitement I get when they nickels arrive, and they are better than I even expected.
Over the last few years, I have bought full albums, many original bank wrapped rolls, the old capital plastic nickel sets, and misc raw items.
When I am at shows, or the coin shops, I always like to peruse the raw nickels as well.
Will I come across a MS 67 registry quality nickel? Highly unlikely, but not impossible. It is of no consequence to me either way though. I don't send coins in for grading anyway. I am not in it for any investment or reselling reasons.

What's my point? I'm getting to it..geez!
I wanted to show you that you can put together an amazing set of nickels, inexpensively. (Don't shake your head at me Lehigh!)
Yes, some have dings, and they aren't struck with the force of thor's hammer, but they sure do look nice.
So, here are a handful of examples that have come to me by way of raw purchases. I also hope others will see that Jefferson nickels are a great type to collect.
I am posting ones that I haven't already posted throughout the forum.
I would love to post the hundreds I have imaged, but for now, this will do.

I hope you enjoy today's show and tell.
-greg





































I guess that's enough for now. So much to show, such little time!

 

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Some very nice Jefferson nickels you have there gbroke!

 

I had my eyes on what looked to be a real nice set of wars that ended on ebay today, kind of mad that I didn't win them.

All of my Jeffys thus far have been pulled from bank rolls. I don't have many, if any coins, of that caliber, but even hunting from rolls, you can find some very nice examples.

An example;

 

Nice Merc, it's amazing to find a 70 year old coin in a roll, with that much detail!

The war nickels...
I always kept my eye on the war nickel sets in those plastic capital holders. I especially look for the ones that look gold. That means those things are just dripping luster. The prices always fluctuate between every set, sometimes by quite a bit. There is always a great deal to be had if you can wait it out.

 

Greg,

Don't worry, I wasn't shaking my head unless you mean up and down because this thread rocks. I love your collecting style and now that your photography has improved we get to share in the joy of your Jeffersons. IMO, finding a suitable MS64-65 album coin is just as tough as finding the MS66-67 registry coins. While there are a ton of them out there, nobody sells them. You really have to search. I give you mad props for getting that many quality eye appealing coins without cheating. By cheating I mean buying graded coins and cracking them out which is what I resorted to in my album collection.

Personally, my favorites in your collection posted above are the 1938-D, 1947-D, and 1969-D which should all grade premium gem contingent upon luster. The 47-D might have something going on in the center of Monticello but it is tough to tell what it is. Otherwise it is a beautiful coin. And the luster on that 69-D is booming in combination with superbly clean focal areas on the obverse.

Fantastic job and great thread.

 

Thanks for sharing these beautiful nickels! I'm currently working on my 2nd set. My Dansco is awesome, containing a lot of coins in the same quality and character of yours...99% which I got raw. Jeffersons are definately overlooked, but if you start appreciating them you won't be disappointed.

 

Thanks Paul! I appreciate the response. This is all your fault anyway.

On the cheating thing...I have only broken one war nickel out of an ANACS slab. It was a 64. It doesn't look nearly as nice as the one I have posted here. So it resides in the surplus. I do have a half dozen or so nickels, in slabs. Which is where they will stay.

I like to post about the nickels, not because I feel I have some awesome collection, nor am I trying to display my pics. It's more about generating some buzz about Jeff's. If I can turn one person into a Jefferson nickel collector, I will consider it a smashing success!

It's a very unrated series I feel. It's a great time for new collectors to break into collecting them, before I buy them all.

-greg

 

Thanks for looking. I couldn't agree more about them being underrated.
I look forward to seeing yours!

 

Ok Ill share a few raw toners i picked up cheap..... pardon the bad pics im learning.

 

gbroke that was an excellent presentation and some great photography. Thanks for the pics!

 

Here is one of my latest...a 1975D.

 

Petro, that is nice looking. Is the toning really peach and blue?

Here is one I photographed yesterday, a war nickel with some crazy iridescent toning.

 

I wish everyone would collect Jefferson Nickels, that is how much I like to talk about them. What most people don't know is how interesting the series can be once you get really into it.

Underrated? The series is like the Rodney Dangerfield of numismatics. Don't believe me, compare the NGC registry points of Jefferson Nickels to that of Roosevelt Dimes. It is ridiculous!

Paul

 

Yep kinda a blu/grey with peach. Heres another...too bad about the rim ding its really nice otherwise.

 

that is quite a reverse

 

Yea im happy with them i picked them all for under $8 or $9, some as low as $4. If only i had the proper skill to capture these, they are most certainly much better looking in hand.

 

I want this one. The reverse reminds me of U of M colors! Wouldn't you agree petro?

 

I love the 60's proofs with their awesome toning.
I bet this yours looks just like mine if you turn it in the light. When they do tone, yellow and pink is one of the sets of colors you will see. That and the blue's.



I think I'll start another thread about raw proofs and the color combos they generally show.

 

Yeah gbroke that is exactly how mine are toned except for the 1984-S its blue target toned. I would love to send out some of my toners to be professionally imaged.