Why was the 1938-D Buffalo nickel so well-produced?

[James_OldeTowne]

Most anyone knows that, short of being damaged, it's almost impossible to find an ugly 1938-D Buffalo nickel. In my personal opinion, it was the single finest, most consistent issue ever produced by any U.S. mint prior to, say, 1970. Since that time, we've seen coins of superior consistency and technical quality, such as just about any modern proof, etc. They must exist by the hundreds in MS-66 and above!

 

But why is it so difficult to find a below-average 1938-D nickel? They are ALWAYS well-struck, lustrous, gemmy, eye-appealing coins. Amazingly, even when circulated, they are attractive coins. They just seem to age nicely. And, have you ever actually seen one below maybe VF? What did the Denver mint do in 1938 that resulted in this phenomenon? Perhaps coincidentally, many 1938-D Jefferson nickels are also very nice, and also coincidentally (?), the 1939-D Mercury dime almost always comes nice.

 

Just wondering if anyone knows what made production of the 1938-D Buffalo nickel so special.

[bsshog40]

I do know that the 37' 3 1/2 leg was caused by excessive polishing of the dies for the buffalo nickel. Maybe the dies were replaced due to this. Don't know about the jefferson or dime.

[RWB]

One possibility are changes in the way Denver rolled out ingots and annealed the blanks and planchets. The can have a huge impact (pun intended) on the appearance of finished coin.

[halfpint]

 

 

the real reason is that was the year that coin collecting started!

 

 

 

 

[Dcoin]

There must be something to this particular run of coins, considering that almost all other Buffalo strikes are notoriously weak and mushy.

[Wihlborg]

the real reason is that was the year that coin collecting started!

 

Good guess, but incorrect. The real reason the Denver mint was able to produce such nice coins in 1938 is because they had finally fired that one incompetent employee.

 

John

[Hoot]

This is an interesting question, and one I've wondered about. Some 1938-D buffs are mshy and show signs of significant die fatigue, but they are the exception and not the rule. There are more nickels from that run that have average to above average strikes than any other year. It seems to me that all of the mints got progressively better at making buffalo nickels from 1934 through 1938. It's a fine period to collect in the series.

 

I think that Roger's postulate is the most likely explanation: "One possibility are changes in the way Denver rolled out ingots and annealed the blanks and planchets. The can have a huge impact (pun intended) on the appearance of finished coin."

 

This also goes along with James' observation that "Amazingly, even when circulated, they are attractive coins. They just seem to age nicely." Good planchet stock and excellent preparation before striking would go a long way to explain the causes of a lasting good appearance, even with significant circulation.

 

Hoot

[cladking]

I've always wondered if Denver may have anticipated a much higher production so had an excess of dies when they learned the Jefferson '38-D would be produced. I have no evidence though.

 

There was an inprovement each year especially in Denver with the buffalo quality and the biggest improvement by far was in '38.

 

Circulation issue cu/ni and ni coins have always been a problem for the US mint and quality even today is not excellent.

 

Very few mints do a great job with these metals but the British Royal mint and Swiss mints (et al) stand out.

[RWB]

[For those who want a research challenge with the potential for significant results: most of the extant documents from the 1920s-1930s have not been examined in detail. Maybe the answer to this or the 1927 "chromium plated dies" is sitting in a press copy book.]

[Buffalo_Pete]

It was either use all the available dies left or destroy them.

 

The stock was also better, and the set-distance on the dies was properly adjusted, as there was no fear of running out of available dies.

 

Pete

[RWB]

Production targets were set by the Mint Bureau and Treasury. Dies were made by and shipped from the Philadelphia Mint to meet the Denver production schedule. It is possible that Denver was shipped more dies than they needed and then rotated them more frequently than customary. The die shipping and life statements might be sitting in the archive files mentioned above....

[Elcontador]

Hoot - when I was a kid, I pulled virtually all of the later date Buffs from circulation, and you're right, these coins were all attractive for their particular grade(s). I even found a few that would grade XF 45.

 

James - I think the 17 Type I Stander would give the 38 D Buff a run for the money re a fine, consistent issue of coinage. Though most of the ones I've seen are Uncs., only they -- no other Stander -- consistently come well, and often fully struck.

[RWB]

Interestingly, the 1917 Type-1 quarter was prepared by the mint engravers, not MacNeil.