Collecting US Nickels from Circulation
Collecting US Nickels from Circulation By Peter Porro Klinger
Most collectibles are not collectible any more. One can purchased from dealers,
through offers or auctions, but you just can't "collect" things much anymore.
A rare exception is the US five cent coin, the Jefferson Nickel.
Want to start someone collecting? From pocket change you can almost fill the
entire Jefferson Nickel book, from circulation. In fact you might be able to
make a complete collection from circulation! Want something to get kids interested
in collecting or coins, and it won't cost you more than the time it takes to look
and a coin folder to save them.
In a recent research project done by a collector, 40,000 nickles were examined.
(Ed Brady, as reported in Numismatic News April 22, 2003) His guidlines were
to look at Jefferson nickels prior to 1960 and any errors.
The search found that, in this study, one in 60 nickels were 1960 or before!
Brady also found nickels from every year from 1938 to 1959. Since people have been
picking out the war nickels, for silver value, they might be the most
difficult to find.
Meanwhile I've been toying with this nickel collecting for a few years now. I have found
some pretty interesting coins, all in circulation, to make my collection. Of the 65 coins
needed to fill my Whitman Coin Folder
1938 - 1961
I am missing only 18 coins. Some of them produced in the tens of millions.
I have found lower production nickels, so I know the others are out there.
(see the chart at the bottom)
It gets a little harder as each new coin is found, but more exciting as the numbers dwindle
and each new find is harder to discovery in my pocket change. If you wondered, yes I have
filled the book Two and have started Book Three for the more recent dates.
These coins aren't rare. They aren't going to make someone rich when the collection is
completed. Is it FUN? YES, entertaining and inexpensive as well. You can find everything
from Very Good to About Uncirculated. I tossed back a couple of proof coins in used condition.
Boxed means I found this nickel, Brady did not. Circle, I'm missing it but Brady found them. I would guess that Brady did his search on the East coast and I know that many of my "S" miny coins came from trips West.
That means in 40,000 more nickels, or more searching East of the Mississippi, I should reduce my want list to under 8 nickels without too much more effort.
By Pete Porro Klinger 2003
Update: 2011 I inspected a mint box of Jefferson Nickles
