Are there any specific years to look for in nickles that have value? I just ound a 1963 nickle (no silver value) but cointrackers says it could be worth .45 in numismatic value. Is this inflated or could you sell to a coin shop? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I've just started buying silver and I know very little about coins.
That's inflated. I'd suggest getting a red book. That'll tell you about war nickels and lower mintage nickels.
A 1963 nickel would have to be uncirculated and have very nice appeal to make it worth more than face value. Even then, a dealer would most likely not purchase it unless it was slabbed (certified) with a high grade, at well below any book value. If you are buying silver, I would even stay away from the silver war nickels as they contain only 35% silver. Silver stackers would agree that 90% silver coinage is the preferred choice.
Cool thing is that nickels are made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. So the base metal of the nickel is actually worth $0.0513618 currently according to coinflation.com. That is a good site to reference for silver buying. People on ebay are odd sometimes, and will pay a premium for certain nickels with low mintages, like the 1950-D, which had a mintage of 2,630,030. I'd guess they are trying to fill out their coin folders. Coin dealers aren't really going to pay you a premium for any circulated nickels besides the war nickels. http://www.bestcoin.com/jefferson-nickel-mintage.htm
I don't think that's odd. That's the key date of the series, and warrants a premium because of that. I paid around $15 for the one in my Dansco, if I remember correctly. Sure, this date is readily available in MS grades, but it doesn't mean folks are odd for purchasing an example.
I'm talking more about stuff that can be bought much cheaper at a coin shop versus ebay. Some things get bid up on ebay, especially Morgan and Peace dollars, which you can get close to melt at your dealer. On ebay, a complete junk common date morgan is 30-32 right now. You can go through five rolls of nickels from the bank and get a few 1963 nickels, like this guy has, and be able to pick the most quality one. For example on ebay:http://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-P-D-JEFFERSON-NICKEL-2-COINS-NICE-CIRCULATED-LQQK-831-/190766641016?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item2c6a93ef78 1.45 per circulated 1963 nickel is a little crazy.
Actually there are many common date nickels with value. What one needs to know is what makes any one Jefferson valuable and there are many factors. Mint State, Strike Quality, Step Count, and Varieties. So which ones are most difficult to find with these factors that puts that one coin head and shoulders above another of the same date and mintmark? At first glance they all appear the same as any other. For basic collectability there are key and semi key dates. 1950 D, 1939 D, and then the 1938, 1938 D, 1938 S, 1939 S, and then the 11 war nickels I suppose. For specialists, there is a much deeper study. The 1953 S, 1954 S, and quite a few of the 1960's dates with sharp strike and full steps. There are quite a few varieties. 1939 P D and S with type 1 and 2 steps 1939 doubled reverse, 1941 Large S and small S, 1942 D over horizontal D, 1943 P 3 over 2, 1943 P doubled eye, 1945 doubled reverse, 1946 D over inverted D, 1953 D over horizontal D, and many other repunched mintmarks and lesser known doubled dies. I find it to be a bottomless hole for collecting and a very affordable and rewarding series. Been at it almost 40 years and still not bored or done with it.
I would disagree somewhat about staying away from the war nickels because of their 35% silver content. 1) They actually contain the highest % silver content by denomination. 2) if it came down to a SHTF situation, the small amount of silver in the nickel could come in handy for buying everyday items like bread and milk without having to make change. 3) I picked up a lot of mine for $3 under spot.
