Grade This Jefferson Nickel...should be a fun one

OK, here is a 1985-P Jefferson Nickel in my collection. I would like to get your opinion of the coin's grade and any other thoughts you might have on it. I'm interested to see what you have to say!

 

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My guess would be MS-68 FS, although I don't particularly like the toning, it seems to be very well struck and I don't see a single contact mark on the obverse. There is one above the dome in the field on the reverse, however.

 

Is it the photos, or is that struck on a cent stock?

Speedy

 

Looks more like rust to me with luster showing through best on the reverse. It is very well struck nickel, I would think if the planchet was wrong the detail and rims would not look so good??? Appears to be something under the chin and a mark or two below the collor. The reverse seems to have the most marks/dings:
Couple above the Dome
Couple on facia of poarch overhang
Couple flanking windows

Lighting of the photos & rust or toning may be hiding other marks as well as the holder may be hiding rim dings?

Way out on a limb here - MS-66 FS ??? photos make it very hard to tell whats up.

the tone of this metal makes me think it is nickel type material.?.

 

you're right, it IS a cent planchet, that's why the coin is incomplete

and Darryl, wrong mintmark for a proof

 

Didn't mean to leave the word proof in there as I knew it was not and that's why I graded MS. Good catch...

 

Incomplete how?

 

MS-65 FS , error , nice coin , must of cost a good a cent .
rzage

 

Ms-63 Rd Fs...

 

64, and my first thought was "is it copper"?

 

OK, well I'm not going to post the grade just yet, but I will say that the coin is slabbed and was graded by NGC. The color is due to the planchet error.

 

I don't understand , why can a coin take a hit on the surface and still be graded , but not the rim ?
rzage:smile:hatch::hammer:

 

I have never really understood that myself. Although, the ding does not look nearly as bad in hand. The slab as a little piece of white (styrofoam...what ever the white is) sticking out over that spot. It creates a shadow in the image and makes the ding look worse. There is a rim ding there, but it looks worse in the pics.

 

That's probably true.

Anyway, there is one question I do have about this type of error. My understanding is that annealing is the process by which the alloy is made and therefore the medal is strengthened (like making carbon-steel). If that's correct, I assume this planchet was either heated too much or not enough causing the nickel and copper to not properly mix. Is that correct?

Based on the same assumption, is this an error that can only happen on nickels? The reason I ask is because it seems that the clad coins aren't mixed alloys...rather layer coins.

 

Doug - this is purely me hypothesizing, but try to follow me out on my own personal limb.

The rim is missing a piece, not pushed in from impact. It might be that the coin was struck with something else in the chamber, that fell off, or that part of the improperly annealed planchet fell off post-strike. I does not appear to me to be a rim ding because the rim on the opposite side of the coin is complete and without signs of damage.

 

GD - thank you for the great explanation! Pictures make it so hard to really understand some conditions. I didn't even consider the rims because in the past I have said some really dumb things about rim condition just to have it turn out to be something related to the holder/lighting. I'm sure I will continue to say dumb things but that's okay as I quickly learn for poor assumptions/observations. Love learning something new!!!