Obtained a 1942-S Jefferson Nickel NGC MS67 5FS from Mt. Lassen Coins for $554 and 336 registry points.

1942-S 5C MS67 5FS: NGC Census: (12/0). PCGS Population (9/0) (8/12).

Seller: Mt. Lassen Coins

Purchased: August 18, 2012

Description:

Nearing technical perfection, the only mark visible to the naked eye is the abrasion in the field to the right of the mintmark and the lamination error to the right of the third pillar. A superb strike shows full details save the center of the sixth step. Just a hint of champagne toning is splashed over bright white silver surfaces with remarkable luster. This coin has immense eye appeal and is well deserving of the assigned grade.

Comments:

While searching for a way to improve my registry war nickel set, I found myself in a quandary. Many of the coins are simply unimprovable without entering the realm of MS68 examples which are in very strong hands. Heritage has only auctioned a hand full of MS68 war nickels in the last five years and I have been outbid on several of them. In addition, every coin in my collection is either an MS68, MS67 full steps, or MS67* except one coin. That coin, you guessed it, is the 1942-S. The fact that my 1942-S was absolutely snubbed for a star designation is another story all together but the fact remains that my only realistic option to upgrade my collection was to send in my 1942-S for a star designation review or to obtain an MS67 5FS which carry a very scant NGC population of 12/0.

During my search over the last year, I checked every auction site and major dealer that you can think of to no avail. So a few weeks ago I decided to google "1942-S 5FS Jefferson Nickel" and see what happened. Well what happened was that it led to one listed on the Mt. Lassen website for half of Numismedia Price Guide ($1,150) and hundreds less than the average Heritage auction price of $824 over the last 2 years. Needless to say, I bought that coin as fast as I possibly could. And to sweeten the deal, Mt Lassen coins had a promotion where they would send you a free uncirculated 1943-D Jefferson Nickel with any purchase of $50 or more but instead they sent me a nicely toned gem BU 1941-D with full steps though a small nick.

The next step is to send my existing 1942-S back to NGC for star designation review to see which coin will represent the Atlantic City Set for the upcoming 2012 registry awards.

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