500+ Nickel boxes in 365 days! All stats updated daily!

You coin looks like it has a rounded rim. Maybe a pressed coin/locket piece. Always fun for me to find an S mint on the East Coast. Especially a better date.

 

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Any chance this is an S/D?

 

Doesn't look like it to me.

 

Thanks Kevin. Yeah I got rolls of Die clash,Cuds,Rotated Dies over the many years of hunting im sure I could attribute a lot to that site. It be nice to be recognized.

 

I'm here at work, but would like to take the time to thank Kevin personally as well as others who are active on this thread. With 40+ hour work weeks and now hunting again for another 40+ hours a week my hands have been tied. Keep in mind the editing of all these photos takes time as well. I try to take clear photos so you guys can feel like your hunting with me

But I will be posting a FULL BREAKDOWN of how I hunt so fast and yet I am still able to find those little errors and varieties.

I believe it will help others be better at this hobby.

 

I think it's safe to say that folks will be wondering what the final tallies will be along with a number of exciting finds!! I appreciate the quality of your photos as I'm always trying to find something you might have missed - always helpful to have another set of eyes or two working the photos. If I had the time I would start up the CRH events again, but at this point, even the change I'm making is staying ahead of me. So...I must live through the efforts of others and nickels being my favorite...you're hired!!!

 

OK...I had to do the research and while we aren't at the halfway point, I did some quick assessment of the Buffalo herd to see where that's at. Here we go -

To start, there are 61 date and mintmark combinations. So far, 23 of them have been accounted for

• The oldest so far is 1916 D - mintage of 13.3M
• The most scarce so far is 1927 D - mintage 5.73M
• The most common is the 1936 - 11 have been found so far with a mintage of 119M
• The most common lower mintage - 3 1928 with a mintage of 23.4M
• The most common find are the dateless Buffalo - 33 so far
• Of the dateless, 2 appear to be Type 1 1913 nickels - they might have a mint mark, but no way to tell...yet
• Of the dateless, 3 appear to be from the 1920's

It will be interesting to pickle those dateless nickels to see what they are. A few have mint marks. Also, given that all the semi-key/key Jefferson nickels have been accounted for, @DatDareNickelGuy has accounted for all the dates/mms from 1936 to present, covering the past 85 years. Only the 1934 and 1935 S and 2021 nickels stand in the way of making that 88 years.

Also, regarding V-nickels, 1904-1909, 1911-1912 are accounted for. Waiting on the Shield Nickel at the moment...but heck...he found a battery. It's only time!!

 

Hahahaha... The battery! Had to go back and bring back some memories. I never did test to see if it worked!

 

Box 238

Just got off of work and surprisingly I'm not tired. So I decided to post this box I finished a couple days ago. Nothing big but I'll take a 2009P since they are incredibly rare here in SA!

1-1951D
1-1939P
1-Foreign 2004 Peso
1-2009P
3-AU/BU 1964D,1976D,and a 1983D
12-Common 50s
4-Common 40s
3-2009D

 

For the ones following this thread just a update for the next few days. I will be off Thursday thru Saturday. A nice three day weekend. I have 7-9 boxes coming in tomorrow. I am still pushing to post a box a day like I used to. Just need one more bank to come thru for me and I should be at my 10-12 per week again.

I will be posting a full run on how I hunt boxes tomorrow. I have been pushing it off due to it being a big post. I want to show everyone what I do from start to finish. It will be a little bit of a read but I think it will be well worth it and full of value. Everything from common sense to advance tips I use.

 

How I hunt thru boxes. Part 1/2

This post will be how I hunt my boxes. As some of you know I hunt boxes of nickels on a large scale. I have read comments and gotten messages on this topic. It is a little bit of a read, but I believe it may help a few newbies or even some veterans.

Disclaimer.

There is no such thing as a right or wrong way to hunt boxes. Every denomination of coins is hunted differently in my opinion, but the same basic principles apply to all denomination when hunting. That being said always hunt the way you want to. Hunting should be fun and relaxing. It should never feel like a chore or boring.

Knowledge is power.

This should go without saying that with more knowledge of this wonderful hobby the better you will become. The power of research is right at your fingertips. Just like when you purchase a car or a house. Before the purchase you do a ton of research before buying. This same logic should be applied to hunting coins. I am always looking up new DDR,DDO,RPM, and anything else that might further advance my knowledge of CRH. This insures that I dont miss anything. So do your research before even starting!

I see a lot of new hunters on YouTube and they seem just interested in silver or wheat pennies. Not knowing that the 1969S DDO lincoln cent they tossed back could of bought them a house.

This book below is my favorite book. Mint errors by Alan Herbert. 20 years old and it is still holding strong. The gentleman unfortunately passed away in 2013. I was very fortunate to have a email relationship with him. He helped me a lot and we would talk off and on about errors.

Having the knowledge I have helps with my speed of box hunting.


Tools that I use.


You really dont need much if you are starting out. A nice lighting system and at least a 10x magnifier and your good. But here is what I use daily to hunt.



A nice foundation to sit at is always nice. I have a 1" thick oak wood mounted to the wall in studs. A comfy computer chair in front of it. As you can tell its not a big set up just enough to hold 2 boxes at a time.

My light is a nice bright swivel style desk lamp that can turn in all direction. It as well in mounted on the table. Bought this for around $15 shipped.

I have more than two magnifiers, but these are the ones I use the most. A 10x to 20x LED light magnifier and a simple loop. Most hobby lobbies and craft stores will have these for sure.

A nice cheap scale is all you need. The one below is a nice one picked up for $10 shipped.

A little screwdriver I use to pop open the rolls.

Two pens. One thick tip to write on my storage rolls and a fine tip when I need to 2x2 a coin.

A computer magnifier. When I find a coin I really want to see up close I will break out the laptop and hook this up. You will get a amazing close up of any coin. Cheap as well around $40 shipped I believe.

And finally below are some teller trays for nickels. You can buy these online as well. These are important for me when hunting (you will see why shortly) but that is my basic set up before I even start. Next post will be the full run down of a box.

 

How I hunt thru boxes part 2/3..... Its going to have to be three parts....lol

In this part I will break down what I do for every box.


Getting in the right mindset.


I have a set way I like to hunt. I have stated in the past I can get thru a box in roughly 2 hours and at the same time find those small errors without missing them.

Getting all the little things out the way keeps the hunting process flowing smoothly without interruption. Will will discuss those shortly.

Always hunt somewhere you feel comfortable. Loud noises or distractions will slow down this process. I like to hunt with a movie I have already seen a thousand times. The noise is just there as background noise.

Hunting for hours in dead silence has never worked for me. If you have a very large family try putting on some headphones and listening to music while hunting.


Prepping the box.




As you can see here we have a regular box pick up from the bank. I will always prep two boxes at a time.



A little tip. Never open the boxes from the front. Always from the top. As you can see I stuck the small screwdriver down from the top left and then just slide it to the right.



The box will then easily open up. This keeps you from destroying the box (This will be important later as well).


Next is now seeing if the rolls are circulated or uncirculated. As you can see below we got a nice circulated box



Next is to pull out 5 rolls at a time checking for enders. You can also run a magnet thru the sides of each roll and see if the magnet sticks. I really dont do this as I enjoy the surprise of hunting without knowing.

Now here is where the mini screwdriver comes into play. I like to "pop" both ends of the roll as im checking enders to speed up the process of unwrapping them. Pictures below.


Now that all rolls have been "Popped" and checked we can begin to unroll the rolls and check the sides before placing them in the nickel tray.

Oh almost forgot! Look at this ender in this box!




Getting coins put in the tray.


Now keep in mind I haven't started the clock yet on hunting. I say two hours to hunt a box but it doesnt include the time it takes to prep the boxes. Two boxes prepped is about 30 minutes or so.


Now when puting the rolls in the tray I am now checking the sides for any potential finds. Foreigns,Clipped Planchets,Silver, and anything that may appear odd. If you guys remember I found that triple split planchet error from looking at the sides.

When its done. I then use the same box to throw the wrappers in and toss it in the recycling ben. I repeat this process again and BOOM! Just like that two boxes are ready to hunt!

 

How I hunt thru boxes part 3/3

The final part of how I hunt boxes and some advice.



Final set up.


Now that the trash is out and all those little distractions are gone. Nothing left to do but to hunt.



So for the ones wondering why I put these nickels in teller trays. The reason is I cant sit up for long periods of time. I have nerve damage in my back and sitting up hours on end doesnt help.

These trays help me, and without them I probably wouldn't be hunting anymore. So what I do now is move 5 trays (one box) over to my bed. I got my magnifiers and bucket for discards ready to go. I prop myself up on my bed with pillows and a little help from the wall. I place one tray on my Fred Flintstone belly at a time and im all set!

I do hunt with no gloves. But I am cautious on what I touch. Once I finish one box I immediately get up without touching anything and wash my hands

Now the tray set up also keeps me focused on going and going. I dont need to crack any rolls or do anything that is a potential distraction.

Like I stated before I have a movie going on thats about 2 hours long and I just get into the zone of hunting until the box is complete.

Below is how I keep my finds. As I find something I put it over on my night stand.

Starting from the right on this particular box is Pre 60s and next to that is the 2009s onward to the AU/BU then Silver on next to foreign and last is the errors and varieties

I usually finish 2-3 boxes on Friday and Saturday. And then I post them throughout the weeks.

After I finish hunting I bring the coins im keeping back to the oak desk where I take my pictures and then edit them for upload to share with you guys.

Some advice.


Always be mindful when hunting. Once again as I stated there is no right or wrong way to hunt.

BUT!!!.... I will say over and over. CHECK BOTH OBVERSE AND REVERSE!!!!!

I see way to many youtube videos of people opening rolls and sliding thru them with their finger super fast just looking for Silver,Key Dates,Buffalo,etc. But you just dont know what you're missing.

I read constantly in those video comments of people stating their box was a bust because no buffalo or silver. Do your darn research and you will find the errors I have found. The hunting will become more enjoyable when you start finding things outside your curriculum.


Remember what I stated in the beginning. This is what works for me. But find what works for you. As long as its fun and you enjoy it that's what matters the most.

 

@DatDareNickelGuy LOL...we might be related!! My station is up on the third floor in the balcony overlooking the dining/living rooms. I always have a movie on in the background. Wife will shut it off at times not knowing I'm in the balcony...and it's usually a movie I've seen a dozen times...maybe The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

 

Great movie!!!... I put on a compilation of old late night shows of Johnny Carson. That way as I'm hunting I can get a few laughs in.

 

Some similarities in the setup as well, but I use a magnifying loop to do the rough search -

 

Wow for sure a very nice set up!... I too have a nice desk attachment magnifier. I used to love going thru lincolns. But as I got older I stuck with nickels

Hahaha.... Almost got the same lamp you got in the corner! Mines silver but looks exactly the same.

 

Some great pictures and amazing information on this thread

 

Well guys looks like im going to be free to really focus on our thread for the next 7-10 days. I was going to post a late night box but I just got some unsettling news that has me in a different mindset now.

So I have a desk job. Unfortunately I was just informed a member on our team has tested postive for Covid. Frankly im upset. I knew something was wrong when this individual was coughing a lot and making moaning noises throughout the day.

I don't blame this person at all for getting covid. But we have a policy if you dont feel well dont come in. This protects the rest of the employees.

And this individual has a home set up. So they could of just worked from home! But she didn't want to stay home and work anymore.

So now because of this I am ordered to not come in the office for 7-10 days.

But even with that said now I'm worried for my health. Today I wasn't feeling to well. Little bit of the shakes and memory issues (like I was in a fog or something) but I dont have a fever. I can still taste and smell. I was able to finish 5 boxes and I got two more to go. I will have a few boxes posted tomorrow. And since I will be off over a week I'll come up with some nice little posts to further help the coin hunting community

 

That is unfortunate. I agree we have a responsibility to one another. She made a judgment error that hopefully doesn't negatively impact others. Fingers crossed.