This is correct, but some people (me included) would say your terminology is slightly off. But a lot of people do use the terminology the way you...
"Contemporary" has a confusing dictionary definition when applied to numismatics. Numismatics uses a specialized definition, wherein a...
I'll make a number of comments on the above posts without referencing each individual one. I see no die variety on this coin. The cracks are...
I think the copper '43 is a modern counterfeit, not a contemporary.
The grade is perhaps VF20 details, damaged/corroded. The line at the top is a die crack. Die cracks add nothing to the value. I would estimate...
It's genuine, but shows considerable damage. Possibly was buried - surfaces are very porous.
Because the closed 3 is assumed to be a lower mintage. IMO that's not a correct assumption as detailed in my previous post.
Yes, it looks like an Open 3. Sometimes it's very hard to tell. IMO, the conventional wisdom that Closed 3 is much scarcer than Open 3 is...
I see no variety on this coin. For those of you who pointed out a pitted obverse, that's the *reverse* with the holes. Also the holes are not...
@mark_h: Those are nice collectible grade missing leaf shield nickels. Missing leaf coins are notoriously hard to attribute unless you can find a...
Contemporary false die counterfeits usually have distorted design features, like the shield nickel above. Modern (mostly Chinese) counterfeits...
> Have you seen if your nickel is in Fletcher's guide? Appears to be a combination of two different dies that appear in Fletcher: F#6, F#4 for...
My website now hosts an article on shield nickel contemporary counterfeit die marriages....
The cause of the broken letters is broken letters on the working hub. Quite common on shield nickels. Note that this coin was minted after 1868....
FS-304. Not in Fletcher.
Lighting. Another example of cameras playing funny trick on us.
I certainly agree with the usefulness of examining both sides of a coin when attributing varieties. One must still be cognizant that reverse...
[IMG]
That's a provable falsehood. Exactly matching reverse die cracks could be used to prove the *possibility" of a particular DDO, but could never...
Shield nickel dates were always punched with a 4-digit gang punch.
Separate names with a comma.
