Obtained a 1949-D Jefferson Nickel NGC MS67* from Greattoning (E-Bay) for $365 and 382 registry points. This coin upgrades my MS66* yielding a net increase of 322 points.

The auction was won using a max bid of $475

1949 d NGC MS67* Star Rainbow Toned Jefferson Pop 4/0

Seller: Greattoning

E-Bay auction #: 370446654818

Ended: Oct 24, 201018:57:01 PDT

This the second coin that I bid on offered by this E-Bay seller with the certification # 2538159-xxx. As discussed in my previous journal, a number of Jefferson Nickels with varied dates/mm with the same certification number is strong evidence that a high grade album collection was recently graded by NGC.

Coin Description:

Powerful violet centers yield to vibrant sky blue and rainbow bands of gold, pink, sapphire, yellow, cherry red, and lime green at the peripheries. A solid strike and thick mint frost in combination with vibrant powerful rainbow toning push this coin with MS66 surfaces into the MS67 realm.

Comments:

This is by far the most eye appealing 1949-D Jefferson Nickel that I have ever seen. That said, the coin has been market graded to it's lofty perch of MS67. The toning is magnificent on both sides and the concentric rainbow bands on the reverse are particularly impressive. However, the surfaces of this coin are not MS67 quality. Significant marks exist on Jefferson's coat, his brow, and the face of Monticello. I don't disagree with the assigned grade or the practice of market grading toned coins, but it is essential to recognize when a coin has been market graded.

The strike is not strong despite the fact that coin is very close to a 5FS designation were it not for the typical weakness under the third pillar. Instead, the strike weakness is evidenced by the obverse hair detail and the extreme softness of the windows and doors of Monticello. The Full Step percentage for the 1949-D is listed as 1 in 20 (5%) although the certified populations in mint state actually yield a 4% chance. It would not surprise me if many of the coins that failed the full step test did so with steps just like the ones on this coin.

There have only been 8 mint state 1949-D Jefferson Nickels that have been awarded the star designation by NGC. I currently own 25% of that population which is represented by MS65 (2), MS66 (2), & MS67 (4). The eye appeal of this coin is far beyond that of the MS66 it replaced which gives it a very good resume for the most eye appealing 1949-D in existence. And at a premium of almost 6.3X Numismedia wholesale, it had better be. The only auction record I can find for a 1949-D Jefferson Nickel NGC MS67* was sold by Heritage in the 2004 Long Beach sale for just over $600. So I guess $365 seems something of a bargain price given that information.