Nickel roll hunting for the first time

I just picked up $62 in CR nickels at the bank. Are there any dates/MM worth keeping besides the 40% 42-45s? Thank you for any help!

 

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I don't roll hunt nickels any more but I used to pull everything under the year 1960. Consequently I have way too many stored but that's the criteria I used.

 

Look up Jefferson Nickel key dates. That'll tell you...
All Praise our Benevolent Overlord Google....

 

https://www.usacoinbook.com/coins/nickels/jefferson/

 

Hello!! Nickles are definitely my favorite to hunt. 42-45s are 35% silver and are still easy to come across. I started a thread on here with a list of Nickles I always pull out if you want to check it out! Good luck on the hunt! Let us know what you get!

 

What are a few of the top ones?

 

1938-D, 1938-S, 1939-D, 1939-S, and 1950-D in addition to the 42-45 "war" nickels would seem to be the key and semi-key dates from the series. I am unfamiliar with any varieties or errors that may be out there. Hope this helps.

 

Ok thanks. Never found the 38d or s, nor the 50d. Guess I can dump them all back into circulation. Maybe I'll cook a few rolls of them before I dump them though just for kicks. My contribution to stimulating the hobby.

 

2009 is a hard one to find also but I doubt anyone would call it a key date. The reasons why these never saw much circulation is still unknown.

 

The silver nickels are 35% silver 56% copper and 9% manganese. In 1942 they made regular nickels in Philly and Denver, and silver nickels in Philly and San Fran.
Here is a list not including varieties, doubled dies, errors, over mms, or proofs. As for the 2009 it's because they are considered low mintage by modern standards, but there's really no value there.
2009 P 39,840,000
2009 D 46,800,000
I've seen people keep the 1957 and 1958 and they are lower mintage,
but there's no market and no value for those. Even for many of these on the list you won't get anything in circulated condition. Many need to be XF or better.

1955
1954-S
1953-S
1952-S
1951-S
1950
1950-D
1949-S
1948-S
1946-S
1945-P silver
1945-D silver
1945-S silver
1944-P silver
1944-D silver
1944-S silver
1943-P silver
1943-D silver
1943-S silver
1942-S silver
1942-P silver
1942-D
1939-S
1939-D
1938-S
1938-D
1938

 

I forgot about the 2009 nickels. In the last 10 years of searching and Coin roll hunting, I have only seen 4 2009 nickels. 3 from Denver, and only 1 from Philadelphia. Here is a link that explains the low mintages from 2009. http://www.coinnews.net/2010/01/20/2009-us-coin-mintages-plummeted-as-mint-cut-production/

 

Nickel CRH is probably the most productive coin to search. But you need to establish what it is you want to do. As noted by your fellow enthusiasts above, there are certain key/semikey dates/mms that you'll want to keep. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I suggest that before you search and before you dump your nickels, you create a list of coins that you want to retain. You will hear/read that folks retain pre-60 nickels, Buffalo, V-nickels, War Nickels, key/semikey nickels, but there are a ton of varieties worth searching for and most of those are more valuable than the 'usual suspects'. This is why I think it is important to establish your list first. It's a certainty that you will throw good coins back into the wild because you learn key information after the fact (e.g., the 1975 D high mint mark is worth more than coins noted above).

Also, the Jefferson Series is the only coin that can be collected to complete a circulation set. It'll take a good deal of searching, but the odds are in your favor to build a complete set. In fact, you can be at 95% complete in under a year, and depending on your volume, in just a few months. And many will be XF, AU and BU specimens.

I especially love hitting a run of high quality 60s nickels since there are a number of doubled die specimens to find. Most are several times more valuable than the semikey Jeffersons. But folks toss them back since they aren't very old. A mistake in my opinion, but to each their own. Folks collect for different reasons and needs. So if they toss them back and are happy...me too. Here's what I was able to do in a few years of Nickel CRH:

Hundreds of 1939 nickels; one ended up being a Henning Nickel
Several 1939 w/reverse of 1938
A few 1938/1939 D and S mint specimens
5 1950D; two were BU liberated specimens
Dozens of War Nickels
Dozens of Buffalo Nickels
Dozens of Dateless Buffalo Nickels (I have a pickled nickel set short only a few key date/mms)
3 dozen V-nickels
Dozens of foreign coins; one was a 1914 Ducat (real gold found searching rolls)
Dozens of DDOs/DDRs
Dozens of Clashed specimens
I have a nearly complete Roll Set of Jefferson Nickels with a few exceptions (semikey/key date/mms).
I had a nearly complete set of Canadian Nickels (I'm in NE, so we see a bunch of Canadian coinage)

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other interesting bits, but the joy was in the hunt and with a little luck and perseverance, I completed 3 circulation sets, made solid dent on my Buffalo set, and maybe 17 different V-nickel dates (I'd have to check). So make your list and give it a go. Make sure you have fun along the way. Good luck!!

 

Finding AU/BU specimens for the 2009/2009D is very difficult in the wild. I suspect I only found 5 or so 2009 and maybe 2 2009D that meet that criteria. Consider the following:

1 silver nickel per box searched
1 Buffalo nickel per box and a half searched
1 2009 Jefferson per box searched

I know that folks knew that 2009 was going to be a low production year, so like 1950D, folks grabbed them up for future prosperity. There will be many BU 2009s so the net worth will be trimmed a bit like the 1950D is. That's why a comparable BU 1939D is far more expensive than a 1950D (fewer were hoarded). 2009, with numbers far exceeding either, will IMHO, not be an expensive coin for collectors.

 

The same here, 1960 and below.

 

Here's a link to DDO/DDR listings for Jefferson Nickels (don't forget the RPMs). Note how many varieties exist for 1960-present there are. And many of these dates can be found in higher condition (AU-MS). Don't give up on the more modern dates: lots of great finds to be had. https://www2.briansvarietycoins.com/listings

 

Went to the bank to turn in two boxes of quarters about a week ago. Teller told me she had some old nickels. I thought she meant personally she had some and then asked if i wanted to see them. I said sure. So she reaches down and brings out $200 worth of old nickel rolls that somebody deposited that were leftover/inherited from the death of a loved one. So I took them all. Unfortunately, they had been searched well and these were the leftovers. 20% from the early 70's (nice uncirculated condition), 20% from the 60's, 50% from the 50's, 10% from the 40's and a handful of 39's. One silver war nickel worn to the nub. Guess I'll cherry pick some of the nicer ones from each year and send the others back to circulation.

 

Sounds like a fun search. If you have a number of better condition specimens, you may want to check against the link I posted above. You might be delighted.

 

Haven't had a chance yet to really go all out on a comment as I'm at work. But this is by far the best post. As a fellow nickel enthusiast I agree 100%. As the 75 high D is my favorite error.

 

My nickel CRH experience is much like yours. No ducat,no Henning. My 39D is rev of 38

 

I suspect though that you have found some pretty memorable nickels, like those excellent clashes you posted!! Those are fun finds to say the least!!