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Do Buffs come blah?

lsicalsica Posts: 1,623 ✭✭✭✭

I've got my eye on some MS stabbed early Buffs on the 'Bay, but a lot of the sellers pics look....well....really blah. Nary a hint of luster. Do some early MS Buffs really come with such "muted" (ahem) luster, or could it be an imaging problem?

Philately will get you nowhere....

Comments

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 36,921 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes... and no.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.

  • lsicalsica Posts: 1,623 ✭✭✭✭

    Ha k tnx

    Philately will get you nowhere....
  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 24,710 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If in doubt ... pass.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • lsicalsica Posts: 1,623 ✭✭✭✭

    Ya I know. I guess I was surprised at just how dull they seemed to come

    Philately will get you nowhere....
  • BryceMBryceM Posts: 11,863 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Every coin comes blah. Look for the nice ones.

    That, and not every photo represents the coin well.

  • ConnecticoinConnecticoin Posts: 13,113 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If a coin you are interested in is in a Gold Shield PCGS holder, you can look up the Trueview (most have them now)

  • TomBTomB Posts: 22,097 ✭✭✭✭✭

    They can come with poor luster in MS grades, but a lot of folks are also a bit challenged when it comes to imaging them. Some early Buffs have great luster and if looking for type, or just to buy a few, I would search them out.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

    image
  • ChrisH821ChrisH821 Posts: 6,772 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are some very nice ones out there. There are also plenty of not so nice ones.
    For type I would probably suggest 1913-D T1, and 1916 or 17

    Collector, occasional seller

  • BuffaloIronTailBuffaloIronTail Posts: 7,551 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ChrisH821 said:
    There are some very nice ones out there. There are also plenty of not so nice ones.
    For type I would probably suggest 1913-D T1, and 1916 or 17

    Excellent choices! The 1913-D Type 1 really is a better choice for anyone building a Type Set. I don't know what happened with the Type 2, it's still a nice coin,although pricey.

    The 1916 Buff is the first year with the revised dies, and the difference shows. The bigger 6 in the date was intentional, the Mint trying to alleviate the amount of no date specimens.

    Nothing worked, and we as collectors are left with a myriad of partial dates.

    So, really, their efforts were "partially" successful.

    Pete

    "I tell them there's no problems.....only solutions" - John Lennon
  • gumby1234gumby1234 Posts: 5,792 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 28, 2023 5:48PM

    They should have changed the date on the buffs to be incused. Would have solved the problem.

    Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM

  • lunagatelylunagately Posts: 46 ✭✭✭

    @crazyhounddog said:
    It depends on what you call, blah. All series of coins has blah coins. What you need to do is take your time and find the ones that are beautiful for everything you like. Buffalo nickels I find are the most beautiful US coin ever struck. That’s why I’ve collected them all my life.

    Very well said and I could not agree more!

  • ChrisH821ChrisH821 Posts: 6,772 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Now that I am home on my computer I can post this playlist of the coins in my Buffalo Nickel date set. Just short videos of obverse and reverse moving a light around to try to show luster. The 1926 is about to be replaced.
    https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL6F5IzkmpPbQDyebl89WpEZRDuu-ojHIe

    Collector, occasional seller

  • braddickbraddick Posts: 24,875 ✭✭✭✭✭

    peacockcoins

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Buff nickels often come gray and without luster....They were a highly used coin in commerce. Sure, as @crazyhounddog says (and shows) there are also great ones that have been preserved. The difference will be, obviously, cost. Good luck, Cheers, RickO

  • gumby1234gumby1234 Posts: 5,792 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @braddick said:

    Definitely tooled.

    Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM

  • BStrauss3BStrauss3 Posts: 3,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are also years where the minting process was not well executed and "mint state coins" are easy to confuse for lightly worn coins, just because the strike is garbage.

    -----Burton
    ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
  • alefzeroalefzero Posts: 1,077 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That is a series I am bound to return to in time out of nostalgia. Many of us avidly collected them from pocket change as kids. Not all of them needed nic-a-date. The design is interesting in that even with some loss of detail in hubbing or striking, there is just so much still happening on that coin. Both sides were designed with incredibly violable detail. It is a plain attractive design.

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