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Buffalo Nickel Folks: Is the 1914/3 a popular variety? Is it a true variety? Any good pics of one?

RampageRampage Posts: 9,418 ✭✭✭✭
I thought I remember reading something about the variety being a falsie, but I do not recall now. Maybe it was something else I am thinking of. Anyway, are there any collectors of the variety? Are price guide estimates near accurate? Overrated, underrated? Scarce in all grades, scarce in md grades up? Finally, does anyone have any decent pictures with what exactly I should be looking for?

Thanks! Richard.

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    tahoe98tahoe98 Posts: 11,388 ✭✭✭

    ...couldn't find any mention of it in the CPG. image
    "government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is a force! like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." George Washington
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    cmerlo1cmerlo1 Posts: 7,891 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I thought I remember reading something about the variety being a falsie, but I do not recall now. Maybe it was something else I am thinking of. Anyway, are there any collectors of the variety? Are price guide estimates near accurate? Overrated, underrated? Scarce in all grades, scarce in md grades up? Finally, does anyone have any decent pictures with what exactly I should be looking for?

    Thanks! Richard. >>



    I discussed this variety with Mike Ellis and Tim Hargis on several occasions when they were working at ANACS/ICG.

    Their position at the time was that the only way they would recognize the overdate was if the angle of the 3 was visible to the right of the 4- a flat line above the 4 was not enough to get a certification. Also, at the time, they wouldn't attribute 1914-S examples. The opinion was, they weren't really overdates, but were the result of die clashing. IIRC, all of the major 4/3 dies show clashing. I think SEGS is the only company that attributes all of them now.

    Having seen a couple of higher-grade examples, and having 'made' a few of the P-mint examples at ANACS/ICG, I haven't ruled out the possibility of clashing, but haven't ruled out the possibility of an overdate, either.
    You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
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    crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 13,809 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The way I understand it is there iis a 1914-p & a 1914-s overdate. The 1914/3-S is the hard one to identify. Hope this helps...
    imageimage

    Here's one I have ....It's a little hard to see, but there is a bar above the 4,. This particular one you can see a little more of the 3 than most.
    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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    mdwoodsmdwoods Posts: 5,526 ✭✭✭
    This is a auction description for the variety.

    "Finest Known 1914/3 Nickel, MS66, A Rare Early Die State Example
    1914/3 5C MS66 PCGS. FS-014.87. Unlike the 1918/17-D, which was discovered 13 years after striking, the 1914/3 Nickel remained undiscovered until 1996, 82 years after being produced. The initial discovery coin was found by R. A. Medina, who submitted his coin to Bill Fivaz as his entry in a contest initiated by Fivaz and sponsored through CONECA. Later that year a more distinctive example was found by Roger Alexander from a less worn state of the dies. That coin was definitely confirmed as an overdate by Bill Fivaz and NGC encapsulated it after David Lange also confirmed the coin had a 3 underdigit. Just a couple of months later, in March 1997, Austin-based dealer Coleman Foster found an MS63 example while examining bulk lots of coins that had accumulated in the Heritage safes over the previous six months. He alerted Heritage President Gregory J. Rohan to the discovery, and Greg gratefully pulled the coin from the bulk lot, placed it in the June Long Beach Sale where it brought $11,788. Heritage and Mr. Foster split the proceeds from the sale of this coin, which was the first 1914/3 ever offered at public auction.
    In The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels, David Lange states that "two and possibly three obverse dies have been found with the overdate feature. This suggests that the dual-dating occurred during the creation of a working hub that then transferred this feature to each working die made from it." 1914-S Nickels are also known and a 1914-D is also rumored to exist. Most of the known 1914 overdate Nickels show a very faint impression of the underdigit. Lange goes on to explain, "as with any transfer process, the image erodes somewhat as it is copied, and the overdates seen on each coin are thus third-generation copies." We hasten to add that with each successive striking, fine details such as the underdigit becomes progressively weaker. This is by far the strongest overdate we have seen, and it is nearly as complete as the coin photographed on page 79 of Lange's book. The top of the 3 is quite strong with only slight magnification necessary to see. On this early die state, the diagonal downstroke of the 3 is also equally visible as it angles down and to the left from the top right of the top of the 3.
    The coin itself has bright, satiny mint luster and each side is covered with a rich overlay of golden toning. The surfaces are free from any trace of carbon spotting, and there are no abrasions on either side that could be used as a pedigree identifier. Only two Mint State 66 (and two Mint State 65) 1914 overdate nickels have been certified by PCGS, this example, and the toned MS65 coin previously sold in our June, 2002 Long Beach Sale which subsequently upgraded. In our opinion, this fully brilliant specimen is the finest 1914 overdate Nickel certified by either of the major grading services. (#93924)"
    National Register Of Big Trees

    We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
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    RampageRampage Posts: 9,418 ✭✭✭✭
    Thanks guys. Your posts have been helpful. Much appreciated.
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    gonzergonzer Posts: 2,989 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Beautiful coin hounddog but I can't make out the bar over the 4. image
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    crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 13,809 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Beautiful coin hounddog but I can't make out the bar over the 4. image >>



    I have a close-up of the date somewhere, I'll post it ,if I can find it. Thanks....
    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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    crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 13,809 ✭✭✭✭✭
    image


    Better pic., hope this helps....
    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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    RampageRampage Posts: 9,418 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Better pic., hope this helps.... >>


    I can see it clearly on that image. Looks like a great coin. image


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    mdwoodsmdwoods Posts: 5,526 ✭✭✭
    Wow, that photo really shows the luster and color. I can't imagine a prettier example of the variety.
    National Register Of Big Trees

    We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
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    breakdownbreakdown Posts: 1,953 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I can't find where, but I remember David Hall mentioning that he has doubts about the 1914/3 being a true variety. It may have been in the run-up to CoinFacts but I checked there and there was nothing on it. In any event, CrazyHoundDog's example shows why there are skeptics -- the remnants of the "3" is so faint it pales next to other Buffalo varieties like the 18/7-D.

    "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.

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    I have seen P,D,S coins that all exhibit the 4/3 so I say master hub! So no unless you want to list the 1858/7 wheat cent in red bookimage
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    sinin1sinin1 Posts: 7,500
    If you want some pics, go to Heritage archives


    I remember seeing a coin in last couple years that was unmistakingly obviously a 4/3
    they also have very good descriptions on the higher valued coins
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    very hard to find in a pcgs holder
    dont send sheep to kill a wolf...
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    gonzergonzer Posts: 2,989 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thanks for the extra pic hound. The bar is evident and I still acknowledge that your coin is a stunner!
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A legitimate overdate in my opinion but it is a working hub variety (working dies are produced from the working hub and the mis-hubbing on this variety occurred on the working hub,) affecting a number of working dies (at least eight) and therefore much more common than a variety that exists on just one working die, such as the 1918-D 8/7.

    One strong argument supporting the overdate theory is that most of the different individual working dies that show the underdigit also show effacement lines (an attempt to remove the underdigit) that are different on each known die.

    I've been working with Bill Fivaz to try to clarify the attribution of this variety by PCGS and understand that, currently, only Die #2 is attributable based on the pattern of effacement lines on that die as is seen on the CPG photo. Die #1 is just as evident, if not more so than is Die #2 and was the die that confirmed the variety in the original Coin World article but too many of the lesser dies have been slabbed as the 14/13 over the years, mainly by second and third tier slabbing companies, which has led to a lot of confusion with it.
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    rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I simply cannot see the 'bar' over the four.... must be me if the rest of you can see it. Cheers, RickO
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't see an underdigit on the coin pictured, either. I will try to post a picture of an early die state example of Die #1 which shows the underdigit much more clearly.

    I think it's much more notable for that fantastic color.
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    ModCrewmanModCrewman Posts: 4,027 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This is where I'm seeing the 3.

    imageimage
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    RWBRWB Posts: 8,082
    I've never been able to "see" the "3."

    Maybe the real comparison is against a 1913 Ty-II?
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "Maybe the real comparison is against a 1913 Ty-II?"

    I believe overlays were done at the time it was confirmed. They matched the "3" on the 1913 Var 2.
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    homerunhallhomerunhall Posts: 2,498 ✭✭✭
    About ten years ago...give or take...Buffalo nickel ultra collector Tom McCarroll bought a Gem out of auction for a Godzilla price...I forget...$75,000 or $100,000 or something like that. I was at the auction and after he bought the coin he walked past me and whispered in my ear "It takes some imagination to buy that coin." No offense to anyone...but I was never a fan of this variety...just a personal opinion...and I've been very wrong about varieties many times.

    hrh

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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A lot can depend on the die state of the coin in addition to the specific die. I've mentioned here before that, to me at least, the 14/13 is at least as good as such other accepted varieties as the 1943/42 Jefferson 5c and the 1942-D 2/1 Mercury 10c.
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    JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>A lot can depend on the die state of the coin in addition to the specific die. I've mentioned here before that, to me at least, the 14/13 is at least as good as such other accepted varieties as the 1943/42 Jefferson 5c and the 1942-D 2/1 Mercury 10c. >>



    I have never been too strong on this overdate and do not see any comparison between this variety and a 42/1 Merc from either Philly or Denver.
    I would not pay any extra money for this variety over what a nice 14 would bring.
    Some coins are just plain "Interesting"
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    RWBRWB Posts: 8,082
    I should have been clearer: I was referring to the "191" of the date. Those digits were in the hub and have to be identical to the 1913 Ty-II obverse. Must be my glasses, but I still do not see the "3" on the illustrated 1914 nickel.
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    jesbrokenjesbroken Posts: 9,285 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Here is the best example I could find from Heritage's archives(if this is not what is to be considered an overdate then I have no idea what they are talking about), an MS65 which sold for $18k +! I cannot fathom purchasing this poorly struck coin for any large amount, much less the amount it sold for.
    Jim

    image

    When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln

    Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
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    BUFFNIXXBUFFNIXX Posts: 2,701 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yes the 1914/3 overdate is real. So is the 1914/3-s and 1914/3-d. Anyone that does not like these varieties is free to ignore them. And as reported they are the result of working hubs. As for the 1914/3-p there are almost 10 differents obverse varieties that have been reported and catalogued. If you like this variety for the philadlephia mint you can pick one of the subvarieties that has a clear crossbar and leave it at that. The cherrypickers guide has assigned FS number to all three mints. So they are recognized by a lot of experts and collectors alike. Love them or leave them its your choice. BUFFNIXX
    FS numbers for all three mints as follows from Cherrypickers guide......
    1914/3-p FS-05-1914-101 or old FS-014.87
    1914/3-d FS-05-1914D-101 or old FS-014.88
    1914/3-s FS-05-1914S-101 or old FS-014.89.
    Collector of Buffalo Nickels and other 20th century United States Coinage
    a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
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    DCWDCW Posts: 6,973 ✭✭✭✭✭
    To each his own, but I dont see how anyone can compare this coin to the 42/1 dime, Philly or Denver, as that is quite a stretch of the imagination.

    Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
    "Coin collecting for outcasts..."

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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "To each his own, but I dont see how anyone can compare this coin to the 42/1 dime, Philly or Denver, as that is quite a stretch of the imagination."

    I still intend to post an image of an EDS example of Die #1. See what you think of it if then I'm successful.
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 13,809 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Makes a mockery of the hobby, any GUIDE that supports this was obviously influenced by someone in the filed that wanted to make money off of it >>



    I wonder how they pulled that one off???
    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭


    I have a very difficult time pasting images to the BB. Hope this one works.

    http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g175/coinquest1961/1914 14 over 13 01-02/
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    crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 13,809 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I have a very difficult time pasting images to the BB. Hope this one works.

    http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g175/coinquest1961/1914 14 over 13 01-02/ >>



    Not yet!!
    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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    RampageRampage Posts: 9,418 ✭✭✭✭
    image
    image
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    crazyhounddogcrazyhounddog Posts: 13,809 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>image
    image >>



    Well, if you can't see this one, maybe you should get your eyes checked. Very nice image! And thank you for posting itimage
    The bitterness of "Poor Quality" is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thanks to Roger for helping me with this. I couldn't get it to work.
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What is shown is an early die state of Die #1. Die #2 also has a clearly visible underdigit. There are currently eight known dies for this, with most of the rest being quite hard to see. I certainly wouldn't pay any premium for any other purported "1914/13" except for these two dies and possibly for Die #6, which is also a nice one. That is the biggest problem with this variety, and is what causes all the confusion for it since all look different. There's little doubt in my mind that it's a legitimate overdate since the effacement lines-small, random scratches around the top of the digit would certainly seem to indicate that the Mint was trying to remove SOMETHING from each individual die.
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    post a picture of yours in a pcgs holder
    dont send sheep to kill a wolf...
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    jesbrokenjesbroken Posts: 9,285 ✭✭✭✭✭

    "To each his own, but I dont see how anyone can compare this coin to the 42/1 dime, Philly or Denver, as that is quite a stretch of the imagination."

    I agree with this statement wholeheartedly, yet I do now see the last pics as being verifiable.
    Jim


    When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln

    Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
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    koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    No-it doesn't compare to the Philly Mint 42/41-I never said that it did.
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    TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 43,837 ✭✭✭✭✭
    image

    I know the Masters have chimed in and so have the specialists. And maybe it's not an overdate.
    But we must admit that something is there.
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    leothelyonleothelyon Posts: 8,356 ✭✭✭✭✭
    After seeing this thread, I think I'll stand a better chance at getting my overdate verified.
    image

    The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

    My Jefferson Nickel Collection

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    keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
    it's interesting to note that in this early die state of Die #1, which is supposed to support the overdate, the first digit in the date is almost not visible and what is being called the "crossbar of the three" appears to run completely across the top of the date. I think I speak for many other respondents when I say that a variety should be clear and absent of any requisite "imagination" being needed to see the detail. perhaps someone can do some overlays with this picture to help clear things up either way.

    image

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