United States: copper-nickel Shield nickel, "with rays" type, 1866/1866 repunched date (FS-304)

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by lordmarcovan, Mar 29, 2021.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Numista-14852.

    A decent lower grade example of the first-year type with rays on the reverse. This was America's first non-silver 5-cent piece, referred to as a "nickel", though technically "nickels" are 75% copper and only 25% nickel.

    My friend Patrick Jenkins says, "Your 1866 Shield nickel is an FS-05-1866-304 (001.3) ... Shields have some great varieties, this definitely worth more being 1st reverse with Rays and the repunched date. $125 +/-".

    The FS-304 variety attribution refers to its number in the Fivaz-Stanton Cherrypicker's Guide, and would indicate that this is an 1866/1866 repunched date variety. I am not an examiner of die variety minutiae myself, but that's rather interesting.

    01-1866-5c-gradient.png

    02-1866-5c-black.png

    03-1866-5c-white.png

    04-1866-5c-woodie.png

    05-1866-5c-obv.jpg

    06-1866-5c-rev.jpg

    161663536140860630.jpg
     
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  3. Silverpop

    Silverpop Well-Known Member

    :cool:coin there lord M
     
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  4. C-B-D

    C-B-D Well-Known Member

    I don't see the RPD
     
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  5. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    I see it . It's there but the coin is worn . Nice year though !:happy:
     
  6. Mr.Q

    Mr.Q Well-Known Member

    SensibleSal is right, it's there but worn. You've done well.
     
  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Neither do I, but Patrick did, despite the limitations of my photography. Of course I wasn’t looking. I leave the tiny die variety stuff to others, as mentioned. It’s not my cuppa tea, personally- I’m a basic Type guy - but it certainly is interesting when one of your variety specialist friends spots something on a coin you own and tells you that it’s worth more than twice what you paid.

    Thanks. Here I’m just the proverbial blind pig rooting for acorns, it seems. I wouldn’t have known this was a good cherrypick if Patrick hadn’t clued me in after the fact.
     
  8. C-B-D

    C-B-D Well-Known Member

    Here are the two FS-304 pictures in CoinFacts. Maybe? Dies your have a die crack under the 1 and another 6 under the second 6?
    40F8A614-EF95-49C5-BC6A-231905830EB7.png 36FAEB79-A310-48CF-AF7C-D31A9767F699.png
     
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  9. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    I do not see the die crack under the 1 as shown in the first photo you posted (the AU58). It does have a rather squishy 8 and second 6 like in the second picture you posted (the AU55), however.

    Nor do I see the ghost of the low 6 that is visible in those photos, but then again, mine is a much lower grade example, so...?

    After second look with 7x loupe: nope. Don't see any ghost 6 anywhere.
     
  10. BJBII

    BJBII Metrologist, CSSBB

    Gee, that looks a lot like one of my favorites. It's only a VF30, but I love it!
    WIN_20210329_19_44_57_Pro c.jpg WIN_20210329_19_54_08_Pro b.jpg WIN_20210329_19_54_37_Pro a.jpg
     
  11. Cheech9712

    Cheech9712 Every thing is a guess

    Now that’s a looker of a coin. The reverse looks like fireworks. Very pretty. Maybe the best type nickel ever
     
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  12. Cheech9712

    Cheech9712 Every thing is a guess

    Me either
     
  13. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Funny, I never thought of the rays on the 1866-67 nickels as resembling fireworks, but I guess they kinda do.

    So that makes at least three of us. Guess we’ll leave that up to the variety specialist folks with their microscopic vision.
     
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