Posting Jefferson nickels in order by date

Full steps are back in 1948 as we can see from these three examples. FYI, the 48-D is homemade. I was expecting MS66 5FS, to my surprise NGC gave it MS67 5FS. The 48-S is a stunning coin with magnificent rainbow iridescence.

1948



1948-D



1948-S

 

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MS66


MS66


MS66+

 

That nickel is incredible, some of the most dramatic toning I have ever seen on a Jefferson.

 

1948-S
@Lehigh96 and @robec have posted some amazing 1948's. I'm still posting mine anyway!

Personally, I like toning. A lot. However, the original collector put together a very consistent set of white through golden colored coins. I'm reluctant to replace any of these with toned nickels just because they look out of place in this collection.

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No problem, I'm getting some trays and holders so I can have a place to put them.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with striving to have a matched set of coins, especially when your are talking about an album collection. My NGC registry set includes both untoned, monochromatic toned, and rainbow toned coins and it gives a dramatic appearance when viewed together. However, I also have an album collection and outside the war nickels, I only have a few that have rainbow toning.

The 1948-S is a real treat IMO. The quality from this year varies greatly and it produced a number of different profiles.

EDS-Well Struck & Satin: This coin resides in my album collection.



LDS-Lustrous & Mushy from die wear: For those who hold luster paramount!



MDS-Good Luster & Decent Strike: A pretty coin but not exemplary.



EDS-Registry Quality: Superlative in every way with only a few minor blemishes.



Some date/mm in the Jefferson Series are very restrictive in that you are forced to accept a coin that would not otherwise conform to your collecting standards just to fill the slot. Other years have an abundance of quality examples making it difficult for your coin to stand out from the crowd. The 1948-S is one of those years where the great coins are out there but you gotta go find them. It is the coin hunter's delight.

 

I do like this thread. I'm getting to learn a lot about Jefferson nickels, and seeing some world-class coins I might never have had a chance to see.

The jaw on the obverse shows a cross-hatching of marks from the planchet that were not eradicated during striking. The high relief features compete for the same metal to fill up the obverse and reverse dies. On an otherwise sharp coin with crisp lettering you can still see where the metal just didn't get pressed into these deep spots of the dies.



1949




Edit: replaced pictures 10/5.

 

Yesterday, after posting the 1949, I received a flyer Coins We Love from David Lawrence Rare Coins. It includes a 1949 5c NGC MS67 that they are offering at half the $900 guide price, namely for $425. I looked at it, and it really doesn't look much different from my $2.00 version in the last post. Oh, and it sold since I got the flyer about 12 hours ago.

1949-D




Edit: Replaced images 10/05

 

That is registry madness, pure & simple. And based on the photo, NGC should be ashamed to have graded that coin MS67. That said, the 1949-P is one of the hardest slots to fill in the entire series. Likewise, finding attractive premium gem 1949-S examples is also difficult and it took me three tries before I was satisfied with my current coin. Since the 1949-D is so prevalent, only a monster would suffice for my registry set.

1949-P:



1949-D:



1949-S:

 

Really nice looking coins. I am roll searching nickels now. I enjoyed seeing the ‘38’s as those three are some of what I’m searching for.

 

I have replaced the photos in the posts for 1949 and 1949-D. I had added a third light to remove a shadow along the front of Jefferson's face. Unfortunately, I had it too close, and its light washed out the contrast and luster. I didn't like the photos but it took me a while to figure out the problem. I have moved that light further away and now the luster is much better. I'll try to retroactively fix the photos that don't do the coins justice.

1949-S

 

I've been posting my coins in groups to encompass 1 year for each post. I am posting this coin not because it is special, but rather because the 50-D is going to require it's own attention and discussion.

1950-P:



A very well struck example with light even golden toning and 5 full steps. Nagengast lists the rarity of full steps for this date at 1 in 150 making this premium gem full step example a serious registry quality coin.

 

1950
I seem to have acquired an extra one of these. And I'm afraid I have three 1950-D's, plus a proof. Even though I did not post any pre-war proofs, I may have to make room for the proofs somewhere in this thread. Hmmm, what to do, what to do...

My original coin


From the Dansco

 

1950-D​

These were impossible to find in circulation only 15 years after they were issued. Fifty years later, they are commonplace as all the hoarded ones have entered the coin market.

From the Dansco. I don't have an interest in varieties, but there looks like doubling on the date.


Slabbed. This did not get FS.

 

The obverse with the slight doubling looks like some die deterioration. It is a very nice example. And looks like it would get the full steps designation.

Here is my 50D it is in an ANACS soap box slab. All golden with some reds molded in. MS65 no FS.

 

Originally I bought this as an Anacs MS66. I cracked it out and sent it to PCGS.......they also gave it a grade of MS66.

 

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1950-D
Yesterday I said I had three of these. But this one was not photographed. It's a straight-up MS65.

 

Ok, so we have arrived at the so called "key date" of the Jefferson Nickel series. As Ron pointed out, these coins were widely hoarded and finding uncirculated examples is extremely easy, even in premium gem status. However, that doesn't tell the whole story. While high grade examples are in abundance, truly PQ premium gems with excellence in all four areas of grading are extremely hard to find. I have owned dozens of 50-Ds in my life so we will just concentrate on the ones that made it into my registry set for the purposes of this post.

1950-D Take 1: An evenly golden toned example with subpar surfaces for an MS67 grade. It didn't take long to upgrade from this coin.




1950-D Take 2: This next coin had clean surfaces, great luster, and extremely attractive toning on both sides. Just one glaring problem, the strike on the reverse, despite the step detail, was abysmal. The longer I kept this coin, the more I hated the strike, the coin, and the 1950-D.




1950-D Take 3: This time, I finally found it. Like Ahab getting his white whale. Surely this boldly impressed NGC MS67 5FS example with ultra clean surfaces and an abundance of eye appeal would settle the debate. And for a while, I was very happy with this coin. But something lingered, the luster just wasn't what I would expect from an MS67 coin. That all too familiar feeling of discontent and frustration with the 1950-D crept back into my brain.




1950-D Take 4 (Maybe): I purchased this coin with the intention of selling the coin above, but I know my penchant becoming dissatisfied over time with this date/mm. So while I've owned both coins for several years, I still haven't decided which one I am ultimately going to keep. This particular coin was graded prior to NGC's recognition of the 5FS designation. My plan is to resubmit this coin for designation review and if it comes back MS67 5FS, it will reign supreme in my collection. The luster, toning, and eye appeal are all superior. The surfaces and strike are marginally inferior, but I have always coveted eye appeal above all else.





Perhaps you fellas would like to weigh in on which one of these coins you like better and why?

 

I would also like to share, perhaps the rarest of the 1950-D Jefferson Nickels....

1950-D: A circulated example

 

Lastly, I would like to share my 1950-D fantasy. Why oh why couldn't this coin be just a little cleaner. I cracked this baby out and now it resides in my album collection.

1950-D: Album Coin

 

I was looking forward to @Lehigh96's post and I was not disappointed. I have to say I like Take 4 for its toning. I do like the nickels that have cured to a golden color, but sometimes you just need the color to be more varied. I think that's what drew me into overpaying for my MS66+ toned 1950-D.

1951



To remind ourselves of what the reverse ideally looks like, here's a proof. Compare the details in the portico and windows on the reverse. And who expected that there was texturing on the walls of Monticello!