OK for its age http://www.mrbrklyn.com/coins/11252008/jef_nickel_1964.png http://www.mrbrklyn.com/coins/11252008/jef_nickel_1964_rev.png
Take a look in the Red Book at the number of nickels struck in 1964. There were about as many struck that one year as had been struck from 1950 to 1963 ALL TOGETHER. 1964 of course was the last year of silver business strikes (except Kennedy's). There was a huge coin shortage because people were pulling silver out of circulation. Clad coinage was still a year off. So the Mint got a head start on the shortage with the nickels which not being silver weren't being hoarded. The good news: 1964 nickels are common. The bad news: There's not as many well struck ones as you'd think. The Mint was doing "quick and dirty" production. For about the 10 years following 1964 I would bet anyone even money that if you took 5 nickels at random, at least three would be 1964's. And I'd win more often than not.
Gotta love pocket change. Just got this one today. Cost me $32.69 - I got it in the $.31 change. Not bad - it will replace the one in my Harris album. Now how many people will not read it all and think I spent money to buy this coin. Not worth re-taking the pictures to get the file names correct - the r is obverse and O is reverse.
At one point when I first started roll searching, I amassed a pile of several hundred 1964 Jeffersons on my desk. I thought I was strange that I found so many...untill I saw the mintage in the Redbook, hehehe.
Yes they are plentiful. This is the best one by far that I have found in change - I really like how bold Jefferson is. The funny part is - I got it in change from my local coin store.
nice detail on the reverse. I've been upsate in the Finger lakes the last 2 weeks and have seen a lot of interesting coins I don't see at home include a lot of red 1960's Lincolns and a ton of state quarters in high AU conditions. I found a lot of noce 60's dies as well. Ruben