Hey all, I mostly connect paper notes, and I don't know a whole lot about coins. I did get a pretty good deal on an 80% off center nickel (I paid $5 for it) along with a few other items. I have no way to date this nickel, seeing how the date is off the planchet. Are there any variations or features of nickles of years past that can help me narrow down a date range at least? And if not, are off center strikes less valuable if they don't have a date on them? Thanks much! Pics below.
I would say that you did well. You can narrow down the range of dates to 1938-2003 (excluding 1943-1945). If the area below Jefferson's bust was visible you could determine whether the coin was struck 1938-1965 (without designer's initials) or 1965-2003 (with designer's initials) but that portion of the coin is not visible. You can also exclude 2004-2005 because different reverse designs were used. And you can exclude 2006-date because a different obverse was used (with the previous reverse). Off-center strike WITH a date are more valuable than those without a date.
