Why do the 2005 Buff nickels look so beat up?

stev32k

I just went though two rolls of the new nickels and 99% of them look like they just came out of a washing machine full of gravel. Why are they so beat up? Did the mint change to a softer metal, or did they get new machinery that is harder on the coins, or what?

JrGMan2004

Because they didn't just put them through the counting machines once, but 5 times before having them rolled

clackamas

Nickel is hard so much of what you may be seeing are planchet flaws that have not been smoothed out of the coin during striking. They do, however, get beat up preety good themselves. I still wonder why the P mint coins are consistantly worse than the D's year after year.

RGL

Obverse design is much more open to noticeable hits, can no longer "hide" them in hair, etc., and reverse strikes me as more susceptible to picking up marks than Monticello design ...

Neptune

large open spaces show every nook and cranny.

19Lyds

I think it may be due to the fact that they are stored in those large 2 ton bags now instead of the smaller denomination bags!

F117ASR

Because it wouldn't be any fun if they were all top grade. There would be no point in top pops if they were all perfect. This way the hunt is preserved.

FullStepJeffs

<< <i>I think it may be due to the fact that they are stored in those large 2 ton bags now instead of the smaller denomination bags! >>



BINGO! Yes, we have a winner!

In the last ten to fifteen years or so, even with the difference in planchets and amount of pressure used in the striking process, which IMHO (and after reading posts from Cladking and others), I think is caused due to the fact that the P mint strikes more coins and lowers the pressure of the dies in order to have dies last longer, which is the difference between the strikes for each respective mint.

Since the introduction of these huge 2 ton movement bags or whatever they want to call them, again IMHO, mint bags have taken at least a 1 to 2 point drop (on average) from what they averaged prior to the use of these bags. I still think the majority of top dawgs in the Registry (at least in nickels) come directly from mint sets. I was very upset in 2003 to search as many bags of P & D coins that I did, not to find 1 candidate for a possible MS67FS shot... not 1.

Hope this helps!

Steve

F117ASR

<< <i>not to find 1 candidate for a possible MS67FS shot... not 1. >>



Was it the grade or the FS that was hard to find? I thought all modern nickels were now FS. Please correct me if I am wrong

dlimb2

I just opened a box of the mint wrapped...and I found some nice coins...I found a couple that would grade a 67 or better...couple with 1 small nick..pert near as perfect as you will find...I hope!

FullStepJeffs

<< <i>

<< <i>not to find 1 candidate for a possible MS67FS shot... not 1. >>



Was it the grade or the FS that was hard to find? I thought all modern nickels were now FS. Please correct me if I am wrong >>





Most are considered full steps (5 or more)... the problem was the grade of MS67... IMHO. Most if not all of the coins had dings, cuts, etc, which were definitely post production which precluded the 67 designation.

BTW... I have a number of MS66FS examples from the 2003-P's, but very few or probably none of the 2003-D's... lol... who knows if the was just the number of bags I went through at the time, but I wasn't impressed with the quality after they went to those big bins.

Again, I hope this helps!

Steve