Reverse of 1938 vs 1940 help/question

ad4400

I've never got the distinction between the two, as the steps are hard form me to tell apart (eye sight no longer the best). In these instances there aren’t steps to speak of to judge. I recently read another diagnostic was the serif on the S on EPU, which looks more visible and obvious to me. I'm hoping the board can chime in if I have it right on some that I have in my albums:

Reverse of 1938

Reverse of 1940

Thanks for your inputs and guidance!

ChrisH821

Looks like the top two are reverse of 38 and the bottom two are reverse of 40. I never knew about the serif on the S as a diagnostic but now that I see it I can't unsee it. I usually go by the lines that frame the steps on both sides as the tell for reverse of 40.

Relaxn

Ad

Look at the S in E Pluribus Unum in the reverse of 38 it has no seriff and on the reverse of 40 it has a seriff.

This is the easiest PUP for AU and MS coins.

Your pictures the seriff can clearly be seen and not seen to differentiate the varieties.

J

Relaxn

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/jefferson-nickels-reverse-of-38-vs-reverse-of-40.207768/

This is an awesome description also.

jesbroken

The 39 S Jeffs are easier than the 39 D Jeffs to ID as the lower portion of the S tends to be thinner for the most part, but the S serifs are the key identifier for the higher grade coins, both D & S. Here's a little help with the Attribution. The steps nevertheless are a factor, just harder to ID on lower grade coins.
Jim

davewesen

If there is enough detail, the reverse of '40 has straight vertical lines framing the steps.

ad4400

Thanks for everyone’s contribution , a good education on the topic !

leothelyon

And the top step is usually thicker on the R40. Sometime during production of 1939 nickels, they introduced the new reverse dies of the straight steps. I don't know if they simply retooled the straight steps into the existing master die and made the working hubs from that, It would have been too time consuming to have created another master hub from the original 8" clay mold. But I image they would have had to do this for all future dates. I have a few photos of both types in my collection link below. But I think the R40 coins have a slightly weaker look to them when compared to the R38 coins but that's another discussion.

Leo

Clackamas1

I look at the steps, they are not as defined on the rev of 38, they look almost as if the die was cast. The rev of 40 is straight steps laser like incused. If you can't see the step I don't care what rev it is, its a nickel