1947-D Jefferson Nickel NGC MS65 5FS (Something Wrong!!!)

There is corrosion on the obv. O of God.

 

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If someone had a raw coin, which would have been 5FS if not for that little flaw, and one found a bargain real certified 5FS, they might find it interesting and profitable to pull the old switcheroo, leaving them with one in plastic that could fool those who buy the holder rather than the coin, and still have a 5FS raw, which could be sent for grading. Not going to make a fortune on it, but still going to make some money, and some people get a thrill thinking they pulled one over on someone else.

Not any FS, but I think this coin is better than MS65. How about y'all?

 

No, not with the abrasions on the hair over the ear, the cheek and the jaw, as well as the base of the bust. A switch would account for this as well. MS61 at best.

 

The abrasions on the cheek, jaw, and base of the bust are remnant planchet flaws and don't affect the grade. My grade for the coin is MS66.

An MS61 Jefferson Nickel is basically a unicorn, they are virtually impossible to find. It took me the better part of 30 minutes to find a coin that was so bad that it might actually grade MS61.




Do you really think that the subject of this thread is comparable to the coin shown above?

 

If you suspect that the coin has been switched, what would be your next to step to try to confirm your suspicion?

 

This would be the logical next step, to compare the coin to the NGC photo to see if you can determine whether the coin has been switched.

 

I have to admit, you guys did pretty good on this one. I was cracking out a coin that got hosed on the grade, and in the process, the slab opened up like a clamshell and I was able to extract the insert without breaking the slab.



From there it was too easy to replace the coin with another, and snap the entire slab back together. There is some minor damage to the slab but this would pass most cursory examinations.

Now don't fret, I have no intention of keeping this coin in the slab or selling the coin. This was simply an educational exercise to show that NGC holders are exceeding easy to tamper. The proof is that I did it accidentally when I was actually trying to destroy the slab.

The morale of the story is to always make sure you inspect your slabs for damage, and if anything looks out of place, compare the coin to the NGC photos.

 

This one had me stumped. I have to admit that I am not a Jefferson Nickel fan. All I could see wrong with it was that it was under graded. Most so-called high grade Jefferson Nickels I see have marks on Jefferson’s jaw. This one is really smooth. The strike on the steps was way above average, although I admit that I don’t know the rare FS dates. Overall, I could see this one in an MS-66 holder.

As for breaking the slab, I see this as a fluke. NGC slabs are easier to crack than PCGS although my experience with both is limited. I view getting it to snap together again in a credible way as pretty unlikely.