1897 Liberty nickel MS65???

[Keleum]

I'm not sure how else to ask this, is this real? It seems just too good to be true.

 

1897 Liberty nickel

[BillJones]

It's not an MS-65 with that big black spot under the chin, but who knows? These days, with grade-flation ...

 

Still the only MS-65 holder that coin will see, will be from one of the "third world" services IMO.

[rrantique]

Don't know but wonder if his middle initial is "D"?

[MarkFeld]

It's not an MS-65 with that big black spot under the chin, but who knows? These days, with grade-flation ...

 

Still the only MS-65 holder that coin will see, will be from one of the "third world" services IMO.

Never mind the spot under Liberty's chin - look at her cheek and what appears to be friction or light wear. I also have questions regarding the originality of the color.

[James_OldeTowne]

It is not a nice coin, though probably about appropriately retail priced. If you are looking for a nice unc for type, hold out for something nicer. Target 1898 - a year known for nice quality in Liberty nickels. An MS-63 should run only about $75 more than the subject coin.

[Keleum]

James, you da MAN!!! 1898 it is.

[MarkFeld]

It is not a nice coin, though probably about appropriately retail priced. If you are looking for a nice unc for type, hold out for something nicer. Target 1898 - a year known for nice quality in Liberty nickels. An MS-63 should run only about $75 more than the subject coin.

I must disagree with that advice. Any time you target a particular date, you are severely limiting your options and potentially backing yourself into a corner.

 

There are plenty of other dates that offer nice representatives and I would suggest focusing on the attributes of the individual coins, as opposed to looking for that one date. You still might end up with an 1898, but why force yourself to do so and possibly miss out on something else which is as good or better?

[MBA101]

Here is a '97 '65 at a decent price...

 

http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=445&Lot_No=7441

[James_OldeTowne]

It is not a nice coin, though probably about appropriately retail priced. If you are looking for a nice unc for type, hold out for something nicer. Target 1898 - a year known for nice quality in Liberty nickels. An MS-63 should run only about $75 more than the subject coin.

I must disagree with that advice. Any time you target a particular date, you are severely limiting your options and potentially backing yourself into a corner.

 

There are plenty of other dates that offer nice representatives and I would suggest focusing on the attributes of the individual coins, as opposed to looking for that one date. You still might end up with an 1898, but why force yourself to do so and possibly miss out on something else which is as good or better?

Mark, when I search eBay for type coins, I try to target dates I know are generally well struck. For example, I wouldn't want to search through hundreds or thousands of Buffalo nickel listings. If I enter 1938-D, I know the probability of something nice popping up increases dramatically. But if I enter 1937, I'll get a wide variety of quality within mint-state grades.

 

My experience has been that the 1898 Liberty nickel is more reliably a nice coin in Unc than any other "with-cents" date.

 

Of course, at a coin show, where you are actually seeing coins next to each other, it wouldn't make sense to request a specific date, but the pollution on eBay always leads me to narrow searches as much as possible.

 

Of course, your mileage may vary !

[dooly]

 

What about the marks on the T & S of Cents ? and the staining/residue above the V