Nickels...are they worth saving and what years are best?

[LadyDigger]

Have a question about Nickels....I found a 1940 nickel in my till at work the other day and I bought it....

I know Nickels are just that...NICKEL...but can anyone tell me if they are worth saving or searching for and if so, what years would be of interest...besides the buffalos...which I haven't seen one in years!!!

I do look for silver in my till.....I get to the 1965 range, but never anything older...drats!!!!!!!!! One of my cashiers did land a SILVER Quarter....lucky her!!! Someone gave it to her in change...had they only known...LOL

Thanks for any input. Happy Hunting,
Annmarie

 

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[alkoz]

Keep all 1960 and earlier they carry a 25 cent premium at the lowest.The ones to really look out for are the 1938D, 1938S, 1939D, 1939S, 1948S, and the king of them all the 1950D.Also all 1942-1945 they are 35% silver and there are rare varieties like the 1939 double die reverse,the 1943/2P,the 1954S/D, and the 1955D/S.Also keep all uncirculated ones from 1960-1963. NEVER keep the 1964D's they are extremely common 2.1 billion made.And also try to keep the 2004 nickels lots of people are hoarding them and thier value is rising. Perconally i keep all S mint ones 1968-1970.And be on the look out for proof coins people are finding them and you could too!Hope this helps.

 

[LadyDigger]

Thank you Alkoz....great info! I know I passed up two 1940 nickels the other night (I did grab the first one I found a few nights before!)...I put them aside and forgot to buy them....

I'm printing out what you told me....that will come in handy...cause I'm old and I forget sometimes LOL.

I figured something had to be special about the nickels...Thank You so very much!!!

Happy Hunting,
Annmarie

 

[fiatboy]

Some 1942's are silver, some are not. Basically, if it has a big P, D, or S above Monticello, it is 35% silver. I save all pre-1960 nickels, but currently, you'd have a hard time finding someone to pay you more than face value for them. Coin magazines and the Red Book inflate prices quite a bit. 70% to 80% of Red Book is more realistic.

Alkoz's post covered the dates pretty well.

Remember, if you're saving for numismatic reasons, condition is everything. To wit, I spend my pre-1960's if they're worn down more than the others. And anymore, I just save the high grade ones.

I'm sure other members will have more to add.

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[Emperor Findus Cladius]

An expansion of the earlier explanation. Not all 1942's are silver. The silver ones will have a large mint mark above the dome of monticello on the reverse. The non-silver 42's will either have the normal size mint mark at the right side of monticello or no mint mark in the case of Philadelphia. All 1943's, 44's & 45's are silver. Bottom line is if you do not see a large P, D or S above the dome of monticello, it is not silver.

 

[LadyDigger]

Thank You Flatboy...I added some of your tips to the paper I printed out...I will be at work from 3:30 to Midnight....about 10 tills I'll have to count down tonight....Oh Boy...I'm gonna' have fun!!!!!!!

But I have to make sure I have someone witness for me that I am BUYING and not STEALING the change....I'll talk to my manager tonight to see who I can get to witness the EXCHANGE of coinage (gotta' remember to bring my loose change with me!!!)...cameras everywhere....don't need LP on my case! (LP: Loss Prevention)

I'm excited to really start HUNTING THE TILLS! Thanks ya'll for the great input!!!

Happy Hunting,
Annmarie
PS: I'm saving the coins I collect for my three children....hopefully I'll have a nice collection when I leave and give them a great hobby to continue with as best valuable coins as I can find!!!

 

[fiatboy]

Sounds like you're already way ahead of the game. Good luck!

 

[coinlover]

this is what gman tought me, all pre 1960, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968D, 1968S, 1969S, and 1971.

 

[fiatboy]

this is what gman tought me, all pre 1960, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968D, 1968S, 1969S, and 1971.

If they're BU or AU (brilliant uncirculated or about uncirculated condition), I agree.

 

[GMan00001]

this is what gman tought me, all pre 1960, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968D, 1968S, 1969S, and 1971.

If they're BU or AU (brilliant uncirculated or about uncirculated condition), I agree.

They are either older or the lowest mintage ones. (just an arbitrary cutoff for mintage that I had picked for myself, crudely based on the highest mintage recent pre-1960 nickel, the 1958-D). Probably little value in most of the post-1959 without being in good shape as fiatboy says. I do it for a secondary reason though, if I ever find a box/bag that is missing all of those dates listed, I am almost guaranteed to be searching a box of my own rejects. Essentially, its how I mark my rejects without really marking them. I do the same with pennies. If I ever really need the cash I may cash in some of those post-1959 nickels, but it still won't add up to much considering how many nickels I have searched over the last couple of years, I still only have maybe a $100-$200 worth of those years.

 

[LadyDigger]

Ok...at work tonight....going through the tills, I got:

2004 D (2)
2004 P (10)
1968 D (1)
1967 (1)
1964 D (7)
1964 (6)
1963 D (1)
1962 (1)
1962 D (2)
1961 D (1)
1946 (1)
1943 P (1) (P mint above the building)
1942 P (1) (P mint above the building)

The 1942 P is in much better condition than the 1943 P....The letters and all are very crisp on the 1942 P, whereas on the 1943 P...very very worn

Also a customer gave me a 1956 Wheatie, my birth year

Also pulled a Canadian 1 cent coin: 1960

Couple of nights ago...I pulled from work:

1940 S Nickel (1) (the S mint is to the right of the building on the back, not above)

1916 Wheatie
1939 Wheatie
1943 Wheatie
1945 Wheatie
1957 Wheatie
1957 D Wheatie

1978 Canadian 5 cent coin
1982 Canadian 5 cent coin

I'll get the hang of this...have no problem with the silver or the wheaties, but the nickels felt so left out! LOL

Happy Hunting Ya'll,
Annmarie

 

[tw656]

Thats not bad, a couple silver nickels and a few good dates. I think someone posted canadian coins before 82 are worth keeping, cant remember the exact date. I keep all my foreign finds anyway. Keep us posted on your future finds.

 

[fiatboy]

Yep. Pre-1982 Canadian nickels are 99% nickel (whereas U.S. nickels are a copper-nickel alloy.) Some people save pre-82 Canadian nickels because the metal value of the coins is worth more than the face value---kind of like silver half dollars.
http://www.coinflation.com/canada/

 

[LadyDigger]

Since my last posting, I have now three Silver nickels.

2 of the 1942 P (they look great)
1 of the 1943 P (very very worn)

And also found a 1942 Canadian Penny!!! My oldest to date that I know of...still trying to get all my coins together. I locked some in my safe and now I can't remember my combo LOL....

Still looking....lets see what I will find at work today...can't wait to get there LOL

Happy Hunting,
Annmarie

 

[pepperpump]

Keep all 60's and before, war-time nickels are silver as well! Keep your eyes open and something will pop up Good luck!
Pepperpump

 

[LadyDigger]

Keep all 60's and before, war-time nickels are silver as well! Keep your eyes open and something will pop up Good luck!
Pepperpump

I have decided to keep all nickels from 1979 and older....and that's what I have been doing. I have separated them by the Year and then by the Mint....I was reading someones post above talking about '71s and some others...so said I'll just keep all 1979 and older. Once I am comfortable and understand more about collecting and what I really should be looking for, then the ones that don't matter, I will put back into circulation, but until then....I'm building a new room in my house to store my coins....LOL just joking!!!

I even went back to work and bought a rack of nickels...and I'll do so every few days. The ones I don't keep, I take to work to replace the ones I take out of the tills. We get our coins from Brinks and I have found those silvers from the Brinks rolls that I placed in my till for change.

I'm keeping my eyes peeled, but not just for nickels...getting the wheaties and looking for any other silver I can get my hands on!!!!!!!!

Thank you all for your wonderful advice and tips...it really is appreciated!!!
Annmarie

 

[A2coins]

this is what I wass seeking

 

[Dozer D]

LadyDigger: just make sure that your boss knows what your doing with the tills, in case somebody else see what's going on.

 

[enamel7]

LadyDigger: just make sure that your boss knows what your doing with the tills, in case somebody else see what's going on.

Someone resurrected an 11 years old post. Is that a record?

 

[Coincrazed]

Someone resurrected an 11 years old post. Is that a record?

Thread Necromance!!! This was posted before I even became a member! Actually, I was 11 years old at the time! lol