It's not really all that special...

sumnom

I got a nice 1968-S nickel in change the other day. It really can't be called a special find but the higher relief was great, as were the sharp wire rims. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.

adamlaneus

Just today I dumped my pockets of change under a light on a table. I sort of noticed the same thing. Quite a difference in recent years as far as the overall coin.

Looking at the quarters: The difference between the dished fields of a quarter of the mid 1990s... compared with the flat spaghetti of the modern state quarters. Ugh.
And how do they wear? The older designs look better after a bit of circulation compared with the new ones.

The copper-nickel metal is remarkably durable. It's amazing how long nickels last in circulation.