Where is the date on a buffalo nickel? Is it under the Indian's neck? I have 14 of these, and not a one has a date! Whats more, the buffalo side always looks less worn than the indian side. Is it possible that someone deliberately put them through a tumbler? Still looking through my coins, but so far none of those $600 nickles on Ebay have shown up!:kewl:
Ya the date is under the Indians neck. And the date is one of the higher parts of the coin's face, so it's usually the first to show wear, or rub off.
Oh man, I didn't want to hear that! Well thanks for letting me know. Guess they'll be pretty good for sighting in my 270 this fall !
actually some dealers buy the dateless ones i know the one in my area does... i believe its 7-10 cents apiece or something
It is possible, though with using a chemical compound, to find what the date was. It damages the coin though. I think the compound is called Nic-A-Date or something.
You can also use Distilled Vinegar to bring the date out. Soak the nickel(s) for about two weeks in the vinegar and then rinse them in distilled water for a couple of days. When drying them, pat dry do not rub because the surface of the nickel is very soft. Some collectors do not like to do this because it does make the nickel softer and others will only do this to D mint nickels. It is up to you.
One more Rookie question. Just one reply will do, don't everybody "pile one" I know it's a dumb question, but what do you call that penny my wife's mom made into a necklace that looks gold and has an Indian with a big feathered headress. What is the name of that U.S. coin? Thanks for your reply.
TW - you can find the coin you are asking about here - Coin Facts - just scroll down to the gold section.
Thanks. I bookmarked the site. I found another necklace in the closet as well. Both are Indian Head Cent. One is 1899, the other 1907.
Hey there, you can take those buffs, soak em in vinegar for a couple of weeks and you will soon see the dates. I often do this with mm dateless buffs then sell the better date ones to local shops as acid dates of course at usually about 1/4 to 1/3 the g-4 bid, if i can bring up all four digits.
[ at usually about 1/4 to 1/3 the g-4 bid, if i can bring up all four digits.[/quote] Could you give me that price in plain English please.
I would depend solely on the date on the coin. Here is an example...a little on the extreme side. So, you have a dateless Buffalo nickel with an S mint mark. You soak in vinegar and suddenly a date appears...and it's 1921. You have just discovered your coin is a 1921-S, one of the keys in the set. According to my 2007 copy of red book (a bad price guide, but I have it handy right now)...a 1921-S is worth $70 in G-4 condition. Therefore, if you sold the coin as an acid damaged coin hoping to get 1/4 to 1/3 of the G-4 value, you would get between $17.50 and $23.00 for the coin. On the other hand, if the coin turned out to be a common 1929-S, worth $1.00 in G-4. If you could sell it you could get around $0.25 for it.
Okay, I see now. Just didn't understant what G4 is. Also on Ebay they use terms I don't understand. Deep Cameo, fully struck,Key Dated, frosty finish, etc.
Hang in there, TW. You are not expected to start out with all this knowledge. You will learn these things over time. Your first purchase should be a Red Book. The answers to all your questions so far can be found in the Red Book.
The site Administrator , Doug I believe, gave me a site Coin Facts, this had made the whole experince more exciting, as the site lists valuable finds. Unfortunately, except for the Mercury Dime, it doesn't give the little facts we begginers would need, like where is the mint mark on the buffalo nickel? I looked real hard at all 14 nickels I have, and after boreing ahole through my glasses and my magnifying glass, my best nickel begrudgeingly gave up the date 1929. Now unless he has 4 ears and 5 legs, I'm gonna have to find a D or S to grab the brass ring on this thing! Soo.....little help guys. Where is that mint mark? I see something in front of his front hoof that looks like a toadstool or wore out S or something.
It's on the reverse ("tails" side), underneath the words FIVE CENTS (right in the middle, 'twixt the E and C). Hobo is right... the Red Book ("Guide Book to US Coins" by R.S. Yeoman) is the first book to buy. Available anywhere coins are sold !
Again, the answer is in the Red Book. The mintmark for a Buffalo Nickel is on the reverse at the bery bottom below 'FIVE CENTS'.
TW, coin collecting is a very exciting hobby and can be very rewarding and not just in monetary value. There is a wide range of area in this hobby so don't try to learn all of them all at once. Buy the Red Book as Hobo suggested and read it, this will give you most of the basic knowledge needed to branch out to a specific areas that you are interested in. I started collecting a little over 30 years ago and I am far from any expert. I learn new thing every day about this hobby so do not get flustered with all the infomation that you are about to get and take it slow. If you have any questions no matter how small you think it is, ASK! Welcome to CT and I hope you enjoy the hobby. Paul
