Hello, This is my first post on a CoinTalk forum. Glad to be here. I would like your opinion on a coin I found in an uncirculated roll of 1953 S Jefferson nickels that I purchased in the early 1980s and only recently rediscovered and looked through. I sent the coin to NGC because it looked full steps to me, but they disagree. The steps look sharper to me than on most of the 1953 S FS I have seen attributed, on PCGS' website and elsewhere. What do you think?
It depends . . . if step 4 is complete where it appears bridged in the unfocused image, the coin may be 5 1/4 steps, although the coin is most certainly not fully struck, even if it can be designated full steps.
It's hard to tell what is going on under the second column, but based on those images I'm going to say not FS.
Not FS but nice for a 53s. Welcome to Coin Talk! Nice closeups but a full obverse & reverse would help us to help you
I would say it's close but not FS. FS for 1953-S is rare. Most don't even show 2 full steps. Your's is better than most.
What I have been told is that the newer standards say that a bag mark or nick can cross the two steps. But it can't be deep enough to bridge them. I don't think that it is FS.
Welcome to CT @Contrarian! Looks like we have a consensus! And as @TheFinn stated, you can have the nicest steps possible, but any dings, bag marks, etc. will certainly keep most TPG's from giving it the designation. Keep up the good search!
Is it a mint state coin? Uncirculated can mean a few things and it's not always mint state. It has to be between MS 60 and MS 70 to qualify. (non proof) A photo of the entire coin, both sides is helpful.
Thank you all for your opinions. I meant five full steps of course and not six, which is out of the question. As far as the condition of the coin is concerned, as I had mentioned, I pulled it out of an uncirculated roll. I could have added that NGC had graded it MS 65 but that didn’t seem very important. Since an MS 65 1953 S nickel isn’t worth that much, I cracked it out of the slab so I could take a better picture. Almost all of you are pretty certain that the steps are incomplete. Yet I assure you that at some angles everything seems to be there. Lighting is so important. So is the quality of the photography and I’m afraid my setup is a bit lacking. As far as bag marks are concerned, there is one on a step that is quite apparent at a certain angle, but it is superficial and runs across the step instead of cutting it in two. In other words, the mark does not disrupt the continuity of the step. I suppose this is the criterion that most professional coin graders use. Anyway, thanks again, even though you have crushed my dreams.
