I was just wondering, is it just me, or does it seem like a large percentage of P mint nickels IN 1955 - 1958 MINT SETS are in late die states, and look like they've been in knife fights? The silver and copper P mint coins, as well as the D mint nickels, produced during those years that end up in Mint Sets seem to have the normal bell curve of die states and nicks/dings etc., but it sure seems to me that P mint MINT SET nickels from those years are generally in pretty bad shape. Has this been your experience?
is that a really late die state? or is that a WEAKLY struck coin? It looks like a lot of planchet defects made it through to post-strike.
I don't usually buy mint sets, but in my experience, 1954 had the worst strikes in the Jefferson series and 1955 has the worst remnant planchet flaws in the Jefferson series. The strikes in 1955 were abysmal as well, but 1954 was worse. Here is my 1955. Like you said, a knife fight.
It would be interesting to research and find out a couple of reasons why 54 and 55 are such weak strikes. New or older presses? Less tonage used To mint? A different alloyed platchets? Perhaps different dies or different alloys used in the dies.
To get a full step 53-S or 54-S be prepared to break out the big stack of Benjamins. Aren't these 1950's unopened mint sets pretty close to being all opened?
