Buffalo Nickle 2 2

[Hoghead515]

I ended up buying a Buffalo Nickle that I really loved the color of. I tried to talk myself out of it but I wouldn't listen to myself. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and hit the buy button. I couldn't help myself. I really love the coloring of it. My question is what causes the striped coloring? Is it the metals not mixing properly and then toning different shades?  Also does it look like it's been altered in any way? 

[RWB]

Nice. Now -- if that were the doubled obverse die.....

[GoldFinger1969]

Nice coin...raw or graded ?

[Hoghead515]

4 minutes ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

Nice coin...raw or graded ?

It's raw. I'm gonna look it over really good and then send it in and have it graded 

[EdG_Ohio]

Nice Buffalo.
I can't say 100% the reason for the toning pattern but sometimes it due to whatever it was in contact with for a period of time and/or environmental conditions.

[DWLange]

Your own speculation as to the cause is correct---unevenly mixed alloy. When the ingots are run through rollers these irregular concentrations get stretched out into lines that don't become visible until exposed to the environment after coining.

[GoldFinger1969]

55 minutes ago, DWLange said:

Your own speculation as to the cause is correct---unevenly mixed alloy. When the ingots are run through rollers these irregular concentrations get stretched out into lines that don't become visible until exposed to the environment after coining.

Does that happen with silver and gold, too ?  Pre-1933 gold ?

[Fenntucky Mike]

Nice get HH!

[DWLange]

Does that happen with silver and gold, too ?  Pre-1933 gold ?

Stripes are extremely rare on gold coins, which were made with greater care and from planchets produced by the individual mints. The blanks or planchets for minor coins often were purchased from various contractors and could be of uneven quality.

[RWB]

Gold and silver mix with copper very evenly. The Mints also took special care to prevent segregation in those alloys. Gold was easy to keep uniform, but silver naturally segregated slightly when cast into ingots for rolling. The Assayers and Coiners were aware of this and commonly adjust the fineness of a melt so that blanks cut from the center of strips was 0.900 fine. Eventually, improvements in ingot casting and cooling eliminated most of this natural problem. (Members can read ore about "silver segregation" in From Mine to Mint.)

Metals used for minor coins are more difficult to homogenize due to differences in melting temperatures and crystallization.

Edited March 28, 2021 by RWB

[Coinbuf]

Congrats on the new purchase, I would recommend not submitting this coin for grading from a pure cost standpoint its really not worth it.   The 1916 is a relatively common date and your new coin looks to have been struck from late state dies, I would guess it grades anywhere from AU58 to MS63 from these photos.   You would need a grade of MS65 or better to make the cost of grading/slabbing viable, and I just don't see that with this coin.    Get an Airtite holder to protect the coin and enjoy it just the way it is.

[thebeav]

Great looking '16 !

[Conder101]

On 3/28/2021 at 1:14 PM, Coinbuf said:

The 1916 is a relatively common date and your new coin looks to have been struck from late state dies, I would guess it grades anywhere from AU58 to MS63 from these photos.   You would need a grade of MS65 or better to make the cost of grading/slabbing viable, and I just don't see that with this coin.

Not to mention the staple scratch on the rev.

[Hoghead515]

21 hours ago, Conder101 said:

Not to mention the staple scratch on the rev.

That big scratch on it is heartbreaking. It is a very beautiful color. It will still look good in a capsule. 

[Buffalo Head]

During the early years of striking buffalo nickels the mint would buy the material from outside vendors.  The alloy was improperly mixed which, as a result, you’ll find the streaking on the nickels.  So, yes you are correct.

[Henri Charriere]

On 3/30/2021 at 10:49 PM, Conder101 said:

Not to mention the staple scratch on the rev.

[That's the previous owner's fault.  I'd recognize Ratzie's signature scratch anywhere.  Only kidding!  Only kidding! 😉]

[Hoghead515]

3 hours ago, Quintus Arrius said:

[That's the previous owner's fault.  I'd recognize Ratzie's signature scratch anywhere.  Only kidding!  Only kidding! 😉]

I thought it looked like an SMS.