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1937 Proof Buffalo Nickel… new top coin in my type set!

Started by rexcat,

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rexcat

rexcat

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Back at the start of this year I tried to make getting at least one of the two proof buffalo nickels needed for my type set high on my coins to buy list, but as the months went by other really cool coins came around that just needed to be bought (You know, when you see just the right coin for an empty hole you must go for it, passing on that nice eye appealing coin could lead to great depression in the future that only deepens as you search and search but can’t seem to find anything as nice as what you passed on.).

 

Sure the type set was improving nicely with several new copper pieces; I still didn’t have either of the buffalo nickels that started out so high on my list, plus I couldn’t say this was because of a lack of seeing any nickels that I liked, or was I being side tracked by these other coin purchases. Well this changed when I saw in Heritage’s July auction the listing for an eye catching proof buffalo (1937 PCGS PF66) looked to have light blue toning over well struck surfaces that looked problem free. This could be the one for my set, plus I would be able to see it in hand at the MidAmerica Show in Chicago.

 

The first thing I did at the show was stop the Heritage booth and see how this PF66 nickel looked in hand. After eyeing up the coin for awhile I felt that it would be worth bidding on at auction. Then with that coin in mind I began my search of the browse floor for any other proof buffalo nickels for sale. After a few hours of looking I found one proof 1913 type 1 (which by being graded PF66 was too much for my budget) and over ten 1937 proofs, some nice, a few not so nice, and one which was just right.

 

There are just two small areas of light toning and no haze or spotting of any kind on either side of the coin allowing the deep mirrored surfaces to do their thing and flash like crazy when the coin is rotated under a light. And the strike is also very good, but I’m really fascinated by how deeply mirrored this coin is and that the surfaces are so well preserved, it couldn’t have looked much better the day it was struck, all bright and flashy. Also the color is very interesting with it being so silver; you wouldn’t think it’s struck in nickel at all by the color.

 

Although I had planned on getting a PF65 or PF66 brilliant finished proof for the type 2 buffalo in my type set; there was no resisting a coin with so much eye appeal so it didn’t take me long to decide to really go for it and get this PF67. In hand it’s the best looking brilliant proof buffalo nickel that I have ever seen and I’m very glad that I was able to pull the trigger and buy it. The buffalo nickel has been one of my favorite coins since I was a kid so I’m extremely happy to finally have such a beautiful example. Sure this purchase will slow any more progress on the old type set for quite a while, but what can I say?

 

This coin has given me lots of problems as I try to get a decent photos of it, the shots below were done using a one gallon water jug over the coin as a light diffuser. This was the first time I have used this technique and has given me the best photos of this coin so far. The reverse is rotated 20 degrees as shown in the photo.

 

 

 

 

1937-nickel.jpg

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rexcat

rexcat

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Thanks for the comments guys, this is a major addition to my collection and I’m glad to be able share it here with you folks. thumbsup2.gif

 

It will be a while before I’ll be able to land another fish this size.

 

 

 

Looks like a great coin and the light diffuser makes it look cameo-like.

Yes it really does, like on the obverse only the date is actually frosty, the rest is the lighting. I’ve started photographing some other proof coins that have given me trouble in the past with my bottle diffuser, but I haven’t looked at them on the computer yet, but they looked good so far in the camera. 893crossfingers-thumb.gif

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