Jefferson Nickels Reverse of 38 vs Reverse of 40

That it is. I haven't seen a 39-S Rev Of 38 ( non-FS) toned as attractively as this one. But I have a bias. LOL

 

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I love it, it's very pretty enlarged or not I can see enough of it to say it's gorgeous!! Looks like some nice album toning. Nice grade too... Thanks for sharing.....

 

That coin looks very familiar, did you get it from Mingot? My 1939-S Reverse of 38 is an NGC MS67 but the toning is not spectacular. Just some grass green patina on the reverse.

 

No Paul, not from Mingot. I purchased that from a Heritage auction a couple of years ago. I believe I had shown this to you before and you thought it to be nice also. Your 67 is quite nice as well, with much better step detail.

 

Thank you.

 

After reading this article and the rest of the thread, which was very interesting and well written I might add, I went straight to eBay and did a quick search to see if I could find some listings of raw 39's and try to distinguish which rev. each one was.

Cam across this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1939-D-Jeff...80?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item20c69e8950

reverse of 40' right? It's in one of the old NGC holders so it isn't attributed. It looks like such a weak strike that it's hard for me to definitively tell

 

Also, Lehigh, you've gotten me very interested in Jeffersons. I've always liked the design but never really collected them. I bought my first one on eBay a few weeks ago, it's a 1943-s PCGS MS66FS. Now every time I'm in a coin shop I always look at what they have for Jeffersons.

 

Again, great information Paul. However, I just can't seem to discern between the reverse's when the steps are not even close to being full.
Meaning, I cannot see the vertical lines or the top step. When the steps are mush, does it even matter?

Case in point:

 

I'm going to say reverse of 40 simply because it appears the left side still has a discernible edge to the steps based on the photos above. most of what I see as the rev of 38's left hand side don't seem to have a straight edge. But it is difficult to see for sure so that is my opinion... Guess we will see what Paul says..

 

Great post, Paul!

 

Typically, when you have the absence of a vertical indentation in conjunction with an indiscernable top step, the coin is a reverse of 38. I believe that the coin you posted above is a reverse of 38. We must remember that 1939 is only the second year of production and most of the coins are very well struck with almost 10% of all coins with reverse of 40 showing full steps. Most of the problems that plague the Jefferson series with regards to strike, hub deterioration, die wear etc. don't really show up until the post war years. Finding a 1939 reverse of 40 from any mint with no discernable vertical indentation or top step would be extremely rare. My avatar is probably the best example I have of a 1939-D reverse of 40 with weak steps yet both the indentation and top step are easily discernable. Despite the weak steps, notice how well the remainder of the coin is struck.




It is worth noting that the incomplete steps of the reverse of 1938 (including coins from 1938) was the result of the design and not the actual strike of the coin, hence the design change in the middle of 1939.

 

Thanks Paul.

 

Outstanding writeup Paul

It takes quite abit of study and commitment in analyzing this series, you've proven to not only do that, but also letting beginning collectors see what a great importance it is learning from this Jefferson series. Keep up the great work Paul:thumb:.

 

I know this is an old thread, but since it was revived i have to state its a great one!

This is the only example of a 1939 Jefferson I can add to this post. Its a pretty good example of a weaker step 39-S for comparison sake.

 

I know this thread is a couple of years old but I just had to comment on it. Well written and loaded with good information. I was on NGC looking at your registry set and saw the link again so I have read it for the 3rd or 4th time. I really appreciate the way knowledge is shared here. Gbroke got me hooked on Jeffs awhile back and since I have added some nice ones, but nothing like FS 67's that get posted on CT. I do have some nice graded pieces as well as raw, but I enjoy looking at the beauties posted by you and others. Keep em coming.

 

Thanks again for the education. A great read. I was unaware of the two reverses on the 1939 Jeff. Just like your info in the November coin talk on Jeffersons you help me learn. I'm closer to a novice than an expert. But with my microscope I have been very successful in guiding a friend in what coins to send in for grading.

 

Thanks for the education Lehigh. Obviously your expertise on Jefferson Nickels is next to none.