What are pre-1970 nickels going for? Are they worth holding on to, or should I just dump them and get more? I know which ones are silver, so they are an exception, but I was wondering about the rest.
i keep just about everything i come across from 1950 backwards. even then, the majority of those aren't worth more than the $.05 you have invested in them. they're fun to collect though, since you can still get them out of your pocket.
I find a lot of pre-1960 nickels in the boxes I go through. I keep them primarily because there are a lot of OMM varieties to be found from 38-60. I've found a number of them in my collecting past.
I agree with both wacky and kookoox, unless they have an error or variety, they are worth 5 cents each in any circulated condition. The only exceptions, which could bring a small premium are any prior to 1946. Both silver nickels, and 1939-1942 clad nickels. The key dates are: 1939 D 1939 S 1950-D is also considered a key date. But I use that term loosely for this year/mm. -greg
I set aside any pre 60's nickels I come across. 1964 is one of the most common dates, toss that back every time.
"1939-1942 clad nickels" ?? 1939 to 1942 nickels are not "clad" in any sense of the word - they're just nickels. Let's not confuse people.
It stands for "Over Mint Mark". For example the 1954 S/D Jefferson Nickel and the 1944 D/S Wheat Cent are considered over mint mark varieties.
I don't understand how you can get two different mint marks on one coin--walk me through the process.
I can sell pre 1960 nickels wholesale for .07 cents each, not including shipping. I don't do it 'till I have a bags worth (4000 PCS / $200 Face value) . It costs about $10 to ship them , so over face value they are worth .0175 cents each to me at least
The original mint mark is struck over with a different mint mark and you can still see the original under the new.
"The original mint mark is struck over with a different mint mark and you can still see the original under the new." Yes, I know that. But the entire coin isn't struck over, is it? And is the minting a 2-stage process, first the coin, then the mint mark? And how does a "D" mint mark punch (?) get out to San Francisco?
The die is what has the change to the mint mark. Take a San Francisco die, and it's changed to a Denver die by punching a D over the S. That die is then used to strike a new planchet.
OK, that's a good start. So, at some point, San Francisco "dies" were sent to Denver for some reason, and a "D" was carelessly punched over an existing "S" without removing the S?
All dies are made in Phili, and then shipped to San Francisco or Denver. If a die is punched with a "D" mint mark first, and then gets mixed up and punched with an "S", you will clearly see both mint marks.
And at 5 grams each, $200 worth weighs about 20,000 grams, or 20 kilograms, or 44 pounds, plus packaging - ship for $10?
The price to ship a meduim flat rate box through ebay is $10.25. I am sure you can get 44 lbs of nickels in the box. I recently sent 70 lbs of coins in a lager flat rate box for a littlte less then $15
