1913-S Variety 2 Buffalo Nickel

I purchased five badly worn buffalo nickels this morning for a dollar. The dates were very hard to read. At the shop, i believed i had a 1917-D, a 1916, and a 1925. The other two I was going to check later. Once I got home, I got in good lighting and began to look them over. I am 90% sure that one of them is a 1913-S Variety 2 (FIVE CENTS is in recess). Should I use Nic-a-date to try to bring the date out? it is VERY faint and only visible in good (mostly outdoor) lighting. And if so, where can i get some.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I would imagine that you would only limit the number of folks who might want to buy the coins later on by using Nic-a-Date. If they were mine I would leave them be as is.

 

I agree with Tom, leave them as is.

 

Alright, will do. Redbook 2009 prices them at $325 in G-4. I'd put mine in AG condition. Any idea what it might be worth?

 

Barring damage, G-4 = pretty much a readable date and certified go for $220 - $250 on Heritage. ANACS actually certifies acid treated nickels - AG-3 and down. They go for $50 on Heritage. So take your pick which you want.

 

If you could post some pics it would be a big help, You can try photobucket.com
The service is free and the images are outstanding

 

I had a worn slick "V" nickel with a barely identifiable date. In the right lighting it looked like a 1896. I decided to nic-a-date the coin, it turned out to be an 1888. If your sure its a 13-S don't touch it. But if you curiosity gets the best of you it may be a big mistake or an 18-S...

 

Lets see some photos. Then we can make a better guess at what we think. I have, on occasion, dropped dateless mm buffs into vinegar for a week or so to bring up the date.

 

Supposedly there is actually a way to tell whether or not it is a 13-s type II by die characteristics without the need to acid treat it. I don't know much about it, but it might be worth looking into. It was discussed on the last page of this thread:
http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=62330&whichpage=3

 

Here's some pics. I'll post bigger ones when I get home.

 

http://s742.photobucket.com/albums/xx70/tylerpenland/?action=postupload

So i'm a couple weeks late but here's some photos. PLEASE let me know if this link works or not cause i'm tryin' to figure out photobucket still. Thanks
-Tyler

 

Photobucket works. Now, you got to get your shadow out of the photos!

That is a Type 2 San Francisco but I can't read the date from these photos.