Thoughts of the Westward Journey Nickels and collectibility

[chadfromlawson-migration]

Westward Journey Nickels, their pops for NGC and PCGS are low. Is it because the coin or not much stuff being opened. Also the collectibility down the road, is it going to gather steam or dry by the riverside. Its a short set thats why I was thinking about collecting it. Thanks Chad

[cpm9ball]

Chad, the biggest problem is that the 2004 Peace Medals in bags and rolls that came from the Mint were terrible. I got the impression that all of the Mint employees had bad attitudes and they took it out on the coins as they came out of the presses. When I went through my bags, they were in such bad shape that the rims actually snagged my cotton gloves.

 

I've noticed on occasion Westward Journey Collections sold by dealers and on eBay. These are "put-together" sets in Whitman holders. Whitman makes a 10-coin holder and a 13-coin holder. The 10-coin holds the 2004 P&D Peace Medal and Keelboat and the 2005 P&D Bison and Ocean in View with an additional slot for the two different profiles of Jefferson. The 13-coin holds those previously mentioned plus the 2006 P&D and the third profile of Jefferson.

 

I've seen the 10-coin set sell for $10-12 on eBay and dealers asking $25 for the 13-coin set. I will be putting together 800 of the 13-coin sets, but I am going to use a proof nickel for each of the three profiles of Jefferson.

 

Honestly, I don't think this short series will ever be in huge demand, but it may do well as gifts for children and grandchildren.

 

Chris

[chadfromlawson-migration]

Thanks for the input. Just wondering cause I obtained three really nice ones

 

2005-P Bison PCGS 66

2005-P Western Waters PCGS 67 1/1 pop

2004-Keel Boat PCGS 67 22/0 pop

 

for like $200 through some trade

 

Just wondering if they will ever appreciate or should I sell them and make 3x what I paid for them. Thanks Chad

[cpm9ball]

Thanks for the input. Just wondering cause I obtained three really nice ones

 

2005-P Bison PCGS 66

2005-P Western Waters PCGS 67 1/1 pop

2004-Keel Boat PCGS 67 22/0 pop

 

for like $200 through some trade

 

Just wondering if they will ever appreciate or should I sell them and make 3x what I paid for them. Thanks Chad

 

I assume that the PCGS "Western Waters" refers to the "Ocean in View". Yes, those are pretty high grades assuming that they are business strikes. You didn't say whether they were PF or MS. Unless you are collecting the Jefferson series, I would sell them if you know you can make that kind of profit on them. Sooner or later, someone may get lucky on a bulk submission, and those pops could change drastically. In that case, your profit potential would be greatly decreased.

 

Chris

[chadfromlawson-migration]

Yes all Business Strikes

[TomB]

Are any of them Satin Finish? This makes a huge difference in value.

[Hoot]

Personally, I think this series (2004-2005) is a neat commemoration and the nickels have great designs. I believe the business strikes in MS66 are a great bargain. Those in MS67 and higher are conditionally rare and will garner a premium among nickel collectors for some time to come. Although some include the Jefferson 1800 (2006) nickels with the series, I just don't see it. The nickels of 2006 represent the beginning of an entirely new series.

 

Hoot

[cpm9ball]

Although some include the Jefferson 1800 (2006) nickels with the series, I just don't see it. The nickels of 2006 represent the beginning of an entirely new series.

 

Hoot

 

Mark, since the 2006 was touted as the "Return to Monticello", I assume this referred to the return trip of Lewis & Clark from their western journey. So, I can understand why it could be considered a part of this short set. It's also possible that the Mint, at the same time, wanted to emphasize the redesign of the reverse.

 

Chris

[cpm9ball]

Are any of them Satin Finish? This makes a huge difference in value.

 

Tom, based on the pops that Chad quoted, they couldn't be SMS coins, all of which have pops in tha 1200's for MS67.

 

Chris

[Hoot]

Although some include the Jefferson 1800 (2006) nickels with the series, I just don't see it. The nickels of 2006 represent the beginning of an entirely new series.

 

Hoot

 

Mark, since the 2006 was touted as the "Return to Monticello", I assume this referred to the return trip of Lewis & Clark from their western journey. So, I can understand why it could be considered a part of this short set. It's also possible that the Mint, at the same time, wanted to emphasize the redesign of the reverse.

 

Chris

 

What a bunch of malarkey! The design was originally touted as "Jefferson 1800" by the Mint, and the Return to Monticello idea was an afterthought. Besides, Lewis and Clark never returned to Monticello and Jefferson was still in office when they made it back from their adventures. Nothing about the 2006 nickels smacks of the Lewis and Clark journeys. The only Return to Monticello that occurred was the reverse of the nickel to a worn-out theme that the Mint originally imposed on Felix Schlag in 1938. Had they instituted his original (award-winning) design, then the present-day nickel would have some redeeming artistic merit.

 

 

Hoot

[Hoot]

Are any of them Satin Finish? This makes a huge difference in value.

 

Tom, based on the pops that Chad quoted, they couldn't be SMS coins, all of which have pops in tha 1200's for MS67.

 

Chris

 

I am still asking what in the hell the satin finish nickels are? What a pile of trash the Mint has created! Why don't they just go to satin finish coins for circulation or go back to business strikes for both circulation and the Mint sets, thus eliminating the confusion? rantrant :frustrated:

 

Hoot

[cpm9ball]

Are any of them Satin Finish? This makes a huge difference in value.

 

Tom, based on the pops that Chad quoted, they couldn't be SMS coins, all of which have pops in tha 1200's for MS67.

 

Chris

 

I am still asking what in the hell the satin finish nickels are? What a pile of trash the Mint has created! Why don't they just go to satin finish coins for circulation or go back to business strikes for both circulation and the Mint sets, thus eliminating the confusion? rantrant :frustrated:

 

Hoot

 

Mint products are to sales as loan sharks are to usury.

 

Chris

[errorist]

Here are a few Westward journey nickels.

 

 

 

[MunkyMan95]

I thought the series would go up in value in 2004, and I bought 10 rolls of each issue, P&D, from 2004-2006. I ended up taking them to the CoinStar about 6 months ago because they were just taking up space and not worth much over face anyways.

 

Maybe the higher grade slabbed coins will be different, but the raw coins sure didn't gain popularity.

[cpm9ball]

I thought the series would go up in value in 2004, and I bought 10 rolls of each issue, P&D, from 2004-2006. I ended up taking them to the CoinStar about 6 months ago because they were just taking up space and not worth much over face anyways.

 

Maybe the higher grade slabbed coins will be different, but the raw coins sure didn't gain popularity.

 

At one point, the Peace Medal rolls were selling for $22-$24 each.

 

Chris

[chadfromlawson-migration]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. Your right I think the mint and circulated coins should be the same. Wish they would go back to it. Also, a little off topic but whats up with mint sets nowadays. I mean you can open them up and close them. I mean I feel there is alot of people selling these with the good coins replaced. I just got a set of westward nickel sets and again you can open them up and I feel someone has taken better coins out because a few coins had fingerprints and one proof was spotting really bad. Maybe Im just paranoid .

[Conder101]

At one point, the Peace Medal rolls were selling for $22-$24 each

The rolls purchased directly from the mint yes, rolls purchased for the bank, no.

 

The reason the Mint Peace Medal rolls went so high is believe it or not BECAUSE the quality was so low. When they first came out many people thought that the rolls would be the source of the high grade coins. So a LOT of the rolls were broken up by people searching for MS-67& 68 coins. Then when they learned that the quality was horrible many or the rolls were then just broken open and dumped in the cash drawers. (I saw this happening at a show the first weekend after they came out. Dealers were dumping them in the till or trying to sell them off at face value just to get rid of them because they were so bad.)

 

Jump forward to 2005 and the buffalo design comes out.It was very popular and a great many people bought up the rolls from he mint, even though they were lackluster as well. But now they started deciding "As long as I have these rolls I might as well put together a set of all of the mint rolls" That's when they learned that a significant portion of the Peace Medal rolls had been destroyed and they are significantly tougher than the sales figure would lead you to believe.

 

I can't see the 2005 Buffalos ever doing much of anything. There are just too many of them squirreled away in collectors hands. Believe it or not nearly ten percent of the ENTIRE mintage was sold by the mint and went directly into collectors hoards. And that doesn't include all of the bank rolls that the collectors got and added to their hoards as well. And then there are the bank rolls that the general public hoarded. It would not surprise me if 25% of the mintage, some two to three hundred million coins are stashed away in Mint State condition awaiting the day when they become "valuable".