Hello all, I have a PCGS MS66 1939 Jefferson Nickel that has "Reverse of 1940" on the label. Does this count as a variety? Coinvalues.com lists this coin, but they don't have any prices listed for it. Should I just value it as a 1939 without the reverse of 1940? I've been reading this group for several weeks now and will be trying my hand at finding some errors/varieties. My Cherrypickers guide is on the way. Will be ordering a QX5 soon as well. Thanks for any input you can provide. Steven
I would count it. They have a small added value but in most cases not alot more. The Rev of 40 has much clearer and better steps. I don't think it would be too hard to find a REV of 40 with FS! Speedy
Thanks I did a search on the forums here and found a thread with a really good breakdown of why this happened. I kind of figured that since there were two reverses involved with the 1939 date, this would be considered a variety. Thanks, Steven
Steven, Yes it is considered a Variety as it is a transitional piece (Minted with a Reverse that was not supposed to be used until 1940)! However, like Speedy said, these do not fetch a much greater premium over a normal 1939 Nickel. Now, if you had a 1939 Proof Nickel with the Reverse of 1940 or a 1940 Proof Nickel with a Reverse of 1938, then you would have a Nickel with some significant value. Also, I believe that there is a 1940 Proof Nickel with the Reverse of 1939 which is highly sought after and very high priced since only a very few have been found. Frank
Thanks Wasn't too concerned about the price of it. Was sort of wondering why there weren't any prices listed though. Thanks for the info. Steven
This is an area that seems a little clouded in uncertainty! From most publications, yes the 1939 Nickels were struck with either a 1938 or a 1940 Reverse. However, it appears that there were Proof Reverse Dies for all three years! In other words, there was a Proof Reverse for the 1938 Nickels, a Proof Reverse for the 1939 Nickels and a Proof Reverse for the 1940 Nickels. As in many instances of U.S. Coinage History, Proof Dies were many times resurfaced for use in minting Business Strike coins when the supply of Dies used in minting Business Strike coins ran out due to failures and the Mint had not met the production quotas. There has been and continues to be some speculation that some of the Proof Reverse Dies were used in minting Business Strike Nickels during this period. Anyways, 1939 Nickels minted using either a 1938 Reverse or a 1940 Reverse are both considered Varieties and recognized as such in most publications! Frank
PCGS changed their online price guide recently. They do not have reverse of 1938 listed anymore. So I guess they are calling reverse of 38 a "normal" reverse. I wonder if they will be putting "Reverse of 38" on their slabs anymore..??
