Would the real "Key Date" 1950 Jefferson please stand up??
keets
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I always enjoy eBay listings that can't seem to ignore the hype. If you collect Jefferson Nickels you should be familiar with the oft-shouted Key Date phrase with regard to the 1950-D. Heck, even if you're a casual collector of anything Numismatic you'd have to be blind/deaf/dumb to have not assumed that the 1950-D was important and difficult. I beg you now, please forget all that and turn your attention to the real 1950 Jefferson that you should focus on, the lowly P mint example for that year.
What is strange about these two coins is that while the 1950-D is trumpeted as a low mintage issue, it's eastern cousin is also a low mintage issue, around 9.3 million which makes it about #6 or so on the mintage chart. The paradox is that while everyone focused on the "D" the "P" saw heavier circulation and is far scarcer in gem condition. that fact wasn't helped along with being a weaker struck coin as most San Francisco and Philly coins were throughout the 40's. The result is a 1950-D selling at around $75 in MS66FS while the ignored 1950 in MS66FS will always sell for many multiples of that. Geez, a forum member recently sold an MS65FS example at the BST forum for $175. This linked coin should end around $1300.
That isn't just a holdered coin observation, either. At just about every coin show I attend, I'll see an example of a BU 1950-D Jefferson, usually several. To find a Gem state 1950-P is quite difficult which tells me that the attrition rate was quite high for the Philidelphia coin while the Denver coin was being hoarded!!!!!!
Talk about a Tale of Two Cities!! Dickens would have written a different story from a Numismatic perspective. It was him who wrote that, wasn't it, or have i placed my boondocker in my mouth again??
Al H.
What is strange about these two coins is that while the 1950-D is trumpeted as a low mintage issue, it's eastern cousin is also a low mintage issue, around 9.3 million which makes it about #6 or so on the mintage chart. The paradox is that while everyone focused on the "D" the "P" saw heavier circulation and is far scarcer in gem condition. that fact wasn't helped along with being a weaker struck coin as most San Francisco and Philly coins were throughout the 40's. The result is a 1950-D selling at around $75 in MS66FS while the ignored 1950 in MS66FS will always sell for many multiples of that. Geez, a forum member recently sold an MS65FS example at the BST forum for $175. This linked coin should end around $1300.
That isn't just a holdered coin observation, either. At just about every coin show I attend, I'll see an example of a BU 1950-D Jefferson, usually several. To find a Gem state 1950-P is quite difficult which tells me that the attrition rate was quite high for the Philidelphia coin while the Denver coin was being hoarded!!!!!!
Talk about a Tale of Two Cities!! Dickens would have written a different story from a Numismatic perspective. It was him who wrote that, wasn't it, or have i placed my boondocker in my mouth again??
Al H.
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The only thing I'd like to add is that for the average collector filling an album, the '50-d is probably more elusive than the '50-p. Hence the demand (or perceived demand) on the d minted coin.
That's why you'll probably see '50-d coins in dealers cases at shows.
In our little slab world here, things are different than in the "real world" or on the local bourse.
LSCC#1864
Ebay Stuff
the actual rarity here would be a VF 1950-D!!! i think someone posted a picture of one once, maybe it was that knucklehead Braddick when he was putting together his AG-O set!!
hey Pat, where are ya??
al h.
NICKEL TRIUMPH.....NO STEPS
<< <i>Try finding either date in change - I get more war nickels than either 1950. >>
The 50-P is under rated in circulated condition too. While this coin is available enough
in MS-60 is a much better coin in other grades. These were set aside in greater numbers
than would have been the case because some of the popularity of the D-mint nickel rub-
bed off on it, but choice and gem examples are not common. Especially tough are XF and
AU. These shoul be at least $2 coins in high circ grades but can be picked out of $5 rolls
of circs.
It seems to be getting alot of press since the 04 an 05 L&C designs became a reality.
This will more action in the Jeffies.
BTW. are the 1994P matte and 1997P matte considered keys to the series or are they excluded due to the special manufacture?
i don't know that i'd call the SMS Jeffersons keys but i'd think they have excellent collector appeal due to their finish. i'm getting all five (?) Coin and Currency Sets in still sealed packaging and i think the 1994 and 1997 sets will be difficult to find intact as time wears on. i think it's the 1997 Jefferson that has some toning problems, oddly enough with the reverse only, and finding a totally brilliant example can be tough given the 25,000 set mintage. that coin along with the Matte Kennedy Half-Dollar seem to have settled in quite quickly at a high price. all in all, i'd assume any collector of the sereis would want the two Matte Jeffersons in their set. i have mine and always look for ones that sell cheap!!
i'll probably incur the wrath of other patriots of the series, but..................the interesting thing about Jefferson Nickels for me is that they are relatively inexpensive and available through middle mint state grades if you're willing to look around. very attractively toned MS63-65 coins can be had for less than $3 at just about any show i attend, but................if you truly want a nice Full Step coin, the curve drops quickly. i think the series is more prone to strike weakness than any other modern coin with MS66 essentially the high water mark. on the upside, there are literally millions-----my estimate-----of rolls of coins to search that haven't been given a good look yet.
BTW, it's hard to give a realistic "key date(s)" list from my lofty perch because it's all dependent on how you want to assemble a set. DennisH has trouble finding MS66 coins in PCGS holders for his set and i'm dreaming the impossible dream by going him one better, MS66FS. i honestly believe there are dates which don't exist in that grade, true MS66FS coins. but i think i'll keep looking anyway!!
al h.
<< <i>hey Darin the actual rarity here would be a VF 1950-D!!! i think someone posted a picture of one once, maybe it was that knucklehead Braddick when he was putting together his AG-O set!! hey Pat, where are ya?? al h.
peacockcoins
al h.
Once again great thread.
Robert
Wondercoin
i have never attended the Warrensville Show because of work and stuff, but this year i'll be helping the local guy behind the table and walking the floor when i can. he's sharing a table with another dealer so the listing will be either Shaker Coin or Affordable Coin. stop over, we usually manage to have fun and some laughs. i believe the show appraoches 100 tables.
al h.
Mercury dimes, a 77-coin series, has 87,914 coins grading FB, with 5,545 of these grading 67FB.
Jefferson nickels, a 147-coin series, has 22,880 coins grading FS, with 1,439 of these grading 67FS.
That's right, buy 14 MS67FS Jefferson nickels and you own (control) 1% of the existing population!
This is not to say that full-step Jefferson nickels are rarer than full-step Mercury dimes, but with several years of healthy prices for top specimens, there has certainly been plenty of incentive to submit nice Jefferson nickels and reap financial rewards! For the most part, across the board, superb gem Jefferson nickels are proving to be very elusive indeed. Of course there are many more unsearched rolls, bags and mint-sets out there, but for most dates these either come low-grade, weakly struck, or both.
The top ten most common Jefferson nickels in MS67FS:
1943-D...181
2001-P...169
1944-D...128
1941-D...109
1940-D...68
1945-D...51
2003-P...51
2002-P...47
2001-D...40
1943-S...33
Take away these coins, and that leaves just 562 67FS coins spread among 137 issues.
Man, I wish I would have put everything I had into BU Jefferson rolls 10 years ago!
So true. At the Portland show I looked for high grade as well as full step nickels. I was quite pleased with the high grade and nicely toned coins I found, including a very pretty MS66 1964-D. Cleanest fields and devices of that issue I've ever seen, all with a nice delicate blue toning, but no steps and a tad weak strike. Who cares? I spent 50 cents on it. Very low pop coin in that grade currently. Some marvelous bargains still to be had in the series.
David Bowers has mentioned in a number of his editorials that the '50-D was widely hoarded since there were a number of roll collectors for the time and the word of its low mintage spread quickly.
BTW, my 1950 MS65fs Jefferson was a tough coin to come across. Far more difficult than the '50-D (which I've now found two 6 step examples of - I'm sure there are many more).
Thanks for the discussion Al. Hoot
Auction
San Diego, CA
I still haven't found a 1939 D or S in circulation.
I expect the 1950-P BU rolls to soon surpass the 1950-D rolls in price, whether FS or not.
Another very important fact to mull over; there were NO US MINT SETS IN 1950!!!!!!!
changed their policy to no longer mint short date runs, collectors have still tried to find
tough coins among the current year's releases. Anytime a mintage gets a little low
collectors will set aside a large number of coins for the year while in high mintage years
they'll often neglect to set aside any coins. This is even more pervasive after 1965 for
many issues. There is a strong tendency for the toughest clads to have the highest
mintages.