The 1920 "no F" Buffalo Nickel

Comments

• TorinoCobra71 Posts: 8,063 ✭✭✭

  December 5, 2005 9:12AM

  I wasnt aware these existed!
  
  Ya learn something new everyday!
  
  TorinoCobra71
  
  

  

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• edsondl Posts: 385

  December 5, 2005 9:41AM

  I see two "F"'s on the reverse?

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• caitlin Posts: 858 ✭✭✭

  December 5, 2005 10:28AM

  I know that 1913 patterns coins exited without the F under the date along with a few other 1913 Buffs. I'll take a look thanks for the link.

  A collector of high grade TONED BUFFALO NICKELS ,working on a PCGS REGISTRY SET.

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• koynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 5, 2005 8:43PM

  It's an abraded die error-same process as the 3 legged and two feather coins. There's several other dates with the missing initial, one of which (the 1916) is listed in the Cherrypicker's Guide, and another (1924) that's also a Class VI doubled die reverse.

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• Conder101 Posts: 10,536 ✭

  December 6, 2005 3:08AM

  Possibly an abraided die, but I doubt it. I would be more inclined to think a chipped die or possibly a filled hub. The F in a Buffalo nickel is incuse which means that the F that makes the letter on the coin has to be raised on the die. This would seem to make the abraided die theory a slam dunk. Except for the fact that the raised F is sitting down in the bottom of a depression in the die. In order to abraid the dies enough to remove that F the fields of the die would have to be ground down until they reached the level of the bottom of that raised F down in that depression. And once you do that most of that deprssion is going to be gone as well. Now I do see the results of some die polishing on that coin but not enough to have ground away the F.
  
  On the other hand that F is small and thin and could easily just chip off the die. Or the depression in the hub could become filled and like a coin from a filled die the letter just wouldn't appear on the die because it couldn't flow into that recess in the hub.

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• BuffaloIronTail Posts: 7,551 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 6, 2005 12:05PM

  It is the result of an abraided die. I understand what your saying, Conder. But if I was trying to remove clash marks or just to re-work the die, it would be a simple thing to ground down the raised F to the level of the field. You don't have to go lower, just even to smooth it off.
  
  Heck, the lackluster way that some mint employees approached their jobs back then makes me wonder how ANYTHING came out of the Mint that was worth collecting: EXCEPT, of course, the error coins. Oh, by the way, did any of you notice that the coin is also a "Two Feather?"
  
  Pete

  "I tell them there's no problems.....only solutions" - John Lennon

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• Conder101 Posts: 10,536 ✭

  December 7, 2005 1:45AM

  
  
  << <i>It is the result of an abraided die. I understand what your saying, Conder. But if I was trying to remove clash marks or just to re-work the die, it would be a simple thing to ground down the raised F to the level of the field. You don't have to go lower, just even to smooth it off. >>
  
  
  Except for the fact that the raised F on the die is ALREADY below the level of the field. It starts out down in a depression on the die so the top surface of the F is at the same level as the field. To polish the die down enough to remove the F you would have to polish the field down to the level of the base of the F which would also remove most of that depression that creates the indian's shoulder.
  
  I still think a chipped die where the F has broken off, or a filled hub are more reasonable possibilities.

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• koynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 7, 2005 4:33AM

  Who knows for sure? I'll say this-I have one Buff that shows VERY strong clash marks on the neck-a place well below the fields on the die. I would think that it's not unknown for clash marks like this to be removed by intentional abrasion. At any rate-that "F" is pretty delicate and could have been obliterated by the clash itself.

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