Saw these on the bay and got a HECK of a deal on both of these. (it was roughly $95 for the key date Liberty Nickel, $45 for the Jeff but that toning is worth it to me). Makes me feel a lot better about the gamble on the 3 Peace Dollars that backfired on me.
I wouldn't call the 1883 NC a "key date" in the Liberty nickel series. They are in fact very common. That being said, it's a nice coin. They're often found quite nice, as a great number of that first year/first type got saved at the time. So the sight-unseen buy of the Peace dollars from the stock photos didn't work out? I have not been back to that thread. Sorry to say, it doesn't surprise me, but hey, now you won't take the plunge based on stock photos again, right?
Must’ve misinterpreted the term of “key date” then. From what my dad told me the other day, key dates are the first and last years a specific coin was minted. Since that you’ve mentioned it, doing a quick search gave me a more detailed understanding of it. But Nope, had one with a ding and though the pictures don’t show it that well: the other two almost looked cleaned. Sent the coins back and in the process of getting my money back, already have what I want in my cart from a different seller. Nicer coins, exact coins pictured, about 15-20$ less for the 3 (though they’re Morgan’s this time)
Nope. The first and last years are just that: first or last years. A key date is one of the rarest or most difficult dates to obtain from the series. (Like the 1885 Liberty nickel, for instance.) A semi-key date is a better, and harder to obtain date in the series, but not one of the very top ones (like, say, the 1912-D, maybe). "Key date" is a much-abused and misunderstood term, especially on eBay, where you'll see sellers offering "key date" 1907 Indian cents. (The 1907 had an enormous mintage, and is the most common Indian cent date- thereby making it the exact opposite of a key date.)
So the 1921-P Peace Dollar with just over a million minted, THAT would be an example of a key date, right?
Yes alhenry. Is it Al or Henry? 1921 Peace Silver Dollar High Relief Coin Value Prices, Photos & Info
“Key dates” can be found anywhere in a series of coins. For Liberty Nickels the key dates are 1885, 1886 and 1912-S. Frequently they fall in the middle of a series when the mintage was low and few were saved. Frequently the first year of a series is not a key date. The mint often makes an effort to get the first coins of a series into circulation and makes a lot of them. People often save the first year because it’s something new and different. There are exceptions, like the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter and the 1921 Peace Dollar. In those cases, the mint didn’t get around to making the coins until December. There was only one month’s worth of production. The San Francisco Mint produced all of the 1912-S nickels during the last week of December. Therefore the mintage was low.