I have a 'hoard' of pre 1965 jeffeson nickels that apparently don't have any value because of condition (using the PCGS price guide as my guide) and some buffalo nickels that don't have a date present because of wear. Can these be sold for the silver content in them, and if so, how does one go about doing that?
Hello Skane The buffalo nickels do not have any silver content, the jeffersons dated 1942 thru 1945 do they have a 35% silver 56% copper and a 9% manganese composition the rest of the nickels do not contain any silver.
A few of them probably could. You see, they call the five cent piece a nickel, well, because it's made out of nickel. The only "nickels" that have ever had any silver in them were the "war" nickels dated 1942-1945 (35% silver). They are easy to identify by the large mint mark above the dome of Monticello. In well worn condition they don't bring much of a premium because they really don't have a whole lot of silver in them. Sorry to disappoint you, but I jope this helps.
Hi, thanks for the information. How ignorant (uneducated) I am about that. I've been throwing these coins in a can for years, thinking that they'd have some value, at least from a silver perspective. If I'm not into keeping them for any type of collecting reason, do you think that they might have value to collectors or dealers? I hate to put them back in circulation, but also want to get rid of them. I would think some would have some value even in the less than MS-60 grades?
Thanks for the information. While I'm disappointed, I guess it's my own fault for not knowing this. Is there a market for such 'stuff'. I'd hate to put them back in circulation, but am eager to get rid of them for appropriate value....
Myself, I save all Jeffersons 1961 and older. I chose that date because that is the last date needed if you are filling folders (1938-1961 Jeffs). They usually aren't worth more than face value until you get back to 1955 and earlier, and even then in worn condition they are probably worth about 10 cents each to a collector. The War nickels are worth about 35-50 cents in worn condition. The execptions are the 1939-D and 1950-D. These are the two key coins to the series and carry a modest premium. Hope this helps.
The collectable Jefferson nickels include any of the silver wartime issues, identified by the large mintmark over the dome of Monticello on the back. These are worth about 3-4 times face value because of the silver content. Also, some of the earlier dates, 1938 - 1939 are collectable, usually from 25c to $1. In addition, any 1939 with a mintmark is a semi-key date, even circulated, and is worth anywhere from about 75c to a couple dollars. The 1950-D is also a semi-key date, but you probably won't find any in circulation. Just about all of these were snapped up by collectors immediately after they were minted and almost the entire mintage is still uncirculated. The dateless Buffalo nickels have a retail value of about 15c to 35c each. You might want to check the reverse to see if you have any Type I reverses of 1913. Even dateless, these can bring a small premium, especially the mintmarked pieces. The Type I reverses shows the buffalo standing on a hump or mound, while the Type II reverses show the buffalo standing on a flat line or plain. As for the rest of your circulated Jefferson nickels, go ahead and spend them. Lets the young collectors find cool old nickels in circulation.
I have a 43 P that I'm waiting to put under a glass to see if it's the error variety mentioned in PCGS. I also have an MS-60 1938 s. I was disappointed to see the value listed as only $4.00. when my uncle gave it to me many years ago, it was $6.75 at least from what he wrote on the holder (he's a dealer..). Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.
Ooops! I forgot to mention the 1942-D with the small mintmark. That is also a semi-key and has a little value even in circulated grades.
BTW do not expect a dealer to pay you these prices - they are what a dealer would be likely to sell the coins for and he/she needs to have some profit in the deal. Personally, I use coins like that for tip money, along with Sac dollars, SBAs, Kennedys, etc. Give the restaurant servers, parking lot attendants, etc., something more interesting that what they usually get without any real extra cost to yourself.
Agreed. All the prices I mentioned are retail. Here's a group of 280 ($14 face value) dateless Buffalo nickels selling on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11954&item=3950962534&rd=1
What I would do is to go buy some folders for Nickels 1938-Date and fill them with what you have and then sell them on e-bay or a dealer...you might make a little because its a set.....it you don't have all of the coins to fill the slots sell them as Starter Sets for kids...might work. And don't feel bad about that...we all make mistakes and sometimes have to find out the hard way...if push comes to shove at least you can cash them in at face and not lose anything. Speedy
