To make a short story long, I made an interesting purchase this weekend on the 'bay. For some reason I find die clashes and die cracks really appealing. Maybe it's imperfection in the process, maybe it's something else, I don't know. Either way I think they're neat. That should set me up to be a 3c Nickel and Shield nickel collector. However, in a weird twist of fate I'm only mildly fond of the 3c nickel's and am not at all a fan of shield nickels. I've also, also never done a 'buy-it-now' or submitted an offer to buy a coin, apart from just open bidding. So this weekend I was perusing my normal searches and saw a shield nickel listed for $25 + some shipping. It's a circulated 1867. The obverse die is completely smashed, cracks everywhere. Oddly, I prefer 'used' coins to uncirculated, it seems to add to the appeal that at some point the coin served it's intended purpose, legitimizing it as an item worth collecting. So.... this one had the look. I submitted an offer less than the $25 but certainly higher than fair market, seller counter $2 higher and I took it. Coin arrived yesterday and overall I'm really pleased. Any thoughts on the coins are greatly appreciated. Specifically on the shield there are some horizontal marks (the close up photo) that I assume are maybe front mint polishing out clashes or cracks or something else? Thanks for looking. Finally, apologies that a trained chimp could take better pictures.
