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Please show me a Typical vs Sharp vs Full Buffalo Nickel

I'm reading the Whitman Red Book on Buffalo Nickels. I have always found them fascinating and almost a treasure hunt between the varieties and quality of the strikes.

Can Somebody post images of a few images of Buffalo Nickels and some detailed PUP's that seperates the different strikes.

My lone example (1936-s MS64) certainly in the typical class.

Weak vs Typical vs Sharp vs Full are easy to understand but I seem to have a hard time discerning them in practice... or in my case, mostly shopping for coins online.

Is there a premium for fully struck Buffalo's?

How does strike effect the grade? How dependent is on year/mint/scarcity.



Thanks...

Comments



  • << <i>Is there a premium for fully struck Buffalo's?

    How does strike effect the grade? How dependent is on year/mint/scarcity.



    Thanks... >>



    Hello,

    Yes, yes (sometimes very much), and YES/VERY! (applied to nearly all coin).

    Welcome!

    Eric
  • keyman64keyman64 Posts: 15,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You might want to pick a date and a grade then search the Heritage archives and that should suit your needs quite nicely.
    "If it's not fun, it's not worth it." - KeyMan64
    Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners. :smile:
  • Welcome to CU!
    Taylor
    Also known as coinman101---
    I am a YN and I do not want anybody to question my IQ Level! I don't know everything and came here to learn! image
  • breakdownbreakdown Posts: 1,952 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Robbie,

    It looks like none of the Buffalo experts answered this question. That's unfortunate because there are some very knowledgeable Buffalo folks on here. Cape, koynkwest, coolkarma, shamira, crazyhounddog and many more (okay I'm spelling from memory so I'm probably getting a few wrong here). I will post three Buffalos with varying strikes. There's a number of important places to look -- the Buffalo's hide and above and to the left of the buffalo's horn on the reverse, as well as the split tail. On the obverse, the knot and the hair above the knot are very important for looking at strike. The peripheral strike is also important so check the date and the lettering around the reverse as well as the mintmark for a full strike.

    Here's a strong strike:

    image

    Here's a weaker obverse strike -- notice the braid:

    image

    Finally, here's a weaker reverse strike -- note the flat head and flat tail:

    image

    There's a lot of subtleties and variations in strike for each date. Look at a lot of coins before spending too much. It's a great series with a great design, but it was not always well-made, especially at Denver and San Francisco in the 20s. hope this helps.

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

  • lcoopielcoopie Posts: 8,691 ✭✭✭✭✭
    take a look at a proof buff
    LCoopie = Les
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If you would care to PM me on this I can provide some info.

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