got a few rolls of 1955-d and 1963 nickels and found these. i can not get a good shot to save my life and do not have a loupe to help me out. when i look with a cheap magnifying i can see steps clearly. i also would love to see some examples if you got 'em. Thanks, Chris 1955-D 1963
i have this one also. like i said i need a better lense for my camera, but let me know what ya think. also would like possible grades as well. thanks again, Chris
Hi coinrookie, Unfortunately none of the nickels you posted would qualify for a Full Step designation. The guidelines are pretty strict, and any break in the steps would disqualify it. Keep in mind NGC differs from PCGS in that they will designate a nickel as 5,5.5,or 6 FS. PCGS only has one designation, and that's 'FS'. Here are some examples of full steps: Here is a great thread Lehigh posted, with images, describing full steps in more detail. http://www.cointalk.com/t49827/
I agree with gbroke. All of your coins have bridges, and wear that interrupts the fullness of the steps and would hold them back from an FS.
I agree with the 2 above, they all seem to have a minor vertical mark across some of the steps or light wear, none would be FS
Please read the thread linked below. It is a few years old and needs to be updated badly, but it should answer most of your questions. Read more: http://www.cointalk.com/t49827/#ixzz259lxHdn2 Here are some more recent photos I have taken from my collection. Six Full Steps (NGC 6FS) Six Full Steps (NGC FS) Original Standard Five Full Steps (NGC 5FS) Note the 6th step is incomplete from the 2nd pillar to halfway between the 3rd & 4th pillars. Five Full Steps (NGC 5FS) Note the 6th step is incomplete between the 2nd & 3rd pillars. Five Full Steps for Reverse of 38: Bridges & marks are acceptable, what needs to be complete is the 5th step (raised portion). No Full Steps but strong strike: Full Steps is not always an indicator of strong strike and the absence of full steps is not an indicator of weak strike. Hope this helps!
I read through this thread and the one Lehigh posted, great information. I had two quick questions though (sorry if I missed this information anywhere). Are nickels that are not FS still worth anything? For example, would a 1960 with 2 or 3 steps have any value to it? Also, do any of the newer coins (2102, 2011) that are FS have any value to them, or are they still too new? Thanks for the help.
In short, nickels without Full Steps can be valuable. Just depends on the overall grade, year, mint, etc. You can still easily get MS quality out of nickels with out having Full Steps, 5 steps, etc... I like to think of the number of steps as a bonus, particularly in the older nickels.
This is correct. Ill expound on it a little though. When it comes to full steps, there are are some years that it is very rare to even have a full step nickel due to old worn dies, especially in high grade. So for those years, and even years where full steps can be found, they can be still valuable in high grades. Do 2 or 3 steps add value? For some collectors it might. But since the TPG's wont recognize anything below 5 full steps, it wouldn't help for registry points. It stands to reason that someone may pay more for a nickel with 4 full steps as opposed to the same nickel with complete mush for the steps. That would really only be the case when FS are rare for that particular year. -g
Thanks for the help I appreciate it. A couple more quick questions. In your opinions, should I keep any FS nickels I find regardless of year and mint mark? Right now I have been keeping any pre 1990 nickel I find with at least 2 or 3 steps visible. Do you think this is a good idea or should I focus on ones with more steps, or older dates, etc? Thanks again.
I would start by keeping anything that is in high grade and has nice eye appeal, color, or luster. In order for them to have any value regarding steps, they have to be uncirculated. Some might say to keep every nickel considering the metal content is worth $.052 cents!
Are you collecting Jefferson Nickels or are you simply trying to find coins with hidden value? In my experience, Jefferson Nickels are very common across every date/mm. While there are some dates that are extremely rare with full steps, the majority of dates are still available in full steps. In order to achieve value with Jefferson Nickels, you need the combination of both full steps and condition. To give you and example, consider the 1945-S which is extremely rare in full steps and there are only a few hundred graded examples in existence. In MS66 and better, the coin is worth thousands, but the PCGS Price Guide for and MS63 is only $25. Personally, I place very little value on the full step strike designation because it is not a good indicator of a full strike. That said, I understand that the market places a much higher value on full step coins, specifically for those date/mm's that are scarce in full steps. I think the idea of keeping coins that have only 2 or 3 steps is an exercise in futility.
Thanks again for the great advice. I wasn't sure if keep partial steps was a good idea or not so that is good to know. It would definitely be great to find some nickels with hidden value, but I'm fine with finding ones that maybe worth $3 or $4. I'm very new to this so I'm not sure if that is even possible or a good idea for that matter. Until recently I was just looking for buffs, war nickels and any nickel 1950 or earlier. Just read about full/partial steps a week or two ago and was curious what I should look for and which ones to keep. I may try to post some pics of a couple I kept sometime this week and see if you all think they are keepers or just an average run of the mill nickel. Thanks again everyone.
