LibNick expertise sought for "fully struck" coins....

[James_OldeTowne]

I've owned these three Liberty nickels in my collection for a few years that I always thought were special, as they appear to be about as fully struck as you ever see them (business strikes). I'm thinking of selling them (but no, this post is NOT an advertisement special !), and I'm wondering whether you think these examples deserve any kind of premium. Here are links to them:

 

1892 ex-PCGS MS-64

 

 

 

1892 ex-PCGS MS-64

(I grade it MS-63)

 

 

 

1892 ex-NGC MS-64

 

As a followup, which years in particular are considered difficult to locate with a fully strike? Do you think there will ever be a "full-strike" designator for these, like the "FBL" or "FSB" of other series? Any insights would be appreciated - I think Liberty nickels are a sadly underrated series.

 

Thanks!

James

[Hoot]

Hi James - All pretty coins.

 

I think the 1892 is the best struck obverse among the three. Look closely at the tags between the lines of the hair. Notice that the lines in the hair are far more crisp in the 1892 than the 1907 or the 1911 and that the latter two have thicker tags in the hair lines. The 1892 is starting to show some die fatigue, however, at the rims and the 1907 is showing quite a bit.

 

As for the reverse, the 1911 has the best struck reverse. The rim is bold, the letters are crisp, and note the detail that is found in the wreath, particularly in the sheath of corn on the lower right. This is very nice detail for the reverse of a lib nick. Letters are also far more bold on the 1911 than the 1892 or 1907. The weakest of the 3 for the reverse is the 1907, but both the 1892 and 1907 are showing some die fatigue in the reverse fields.

 

I would say that none of these coins would command a premium above and beyond that of the date/grade. This is not meant as any kind of insult, just an observation. I like the three coins, but I think that they are typical for the series. In person, you may be able to determine lustre as a bonus. One thing that is nice about these pieces is the lack of spots. As you know, many lib nicks are quite spotty. It's also hard to find a nice lib nick in these grades that is toned prettily.

 

BTW, I agree with your assessment of the grades.

 

Hoot

[Elcontador]

James,

 

The three are nice for the grade, but the 92 is not fully struck. Stars 1 & 2 appear to be flat, and star 7 is soft (which is typical). The grading services do not seem to care if a Lib Nickel is fully struck in grades below MS 67. The most weakly struck areas on this series are star 7 (obverse) and the corn (reverse).

 

I've seen a number of them in 6 holders with either a few soft stars and / or a soft corn, minor spotting or minor contact marks. All of them had outstanding eye appeal though.

 

I think this is an under-appreciated series because it takes a lot of patience to find a nice business strike. It's easier to find a nice proof coin (and in higher grades, they're a lot cheaper).