I found this 1918/17D Buffalo nickel about a month ago but wanted to wait till I had a professional look at it. The Great Plains Coin Show was in Sioux Falls this weekend with several dealers from around the Midwest there. Several people looked at it and said it is an over date. I found this running TTF with a Sunray X-5 coil on my Etrac. It was about 5 inches deep in very trashy soil. Under magnification there are some recent scratches that are fresh. This could have been from carrying it with other coins or wiping it off when I dug it. I did not realize that it was possibly rare or I would have been more careful with it. I was told that the scratches may drop it a grade to a VG-8 if I had it certified. Those scratches are about a $800 deduction. This will be a very expensive lesson that I learned. I have always been hoping for a 16D or some of the rare Indian heads and wheat's but it appears this even out did those. I was offered a very good price for it but by this time tomorrow it will be in the safe deposit box. The price would more than enough to pay for a new Etrac. This is a once in a lifetime find that I will sell someday but for right now I want to hang onto it.
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I recently found my best coin of several years of hunting.
- Thread starter Rick73
- Start date
Sweet find! Where are the scratches? I do not see any......no way you scratched a nickel by other coins touching it. Nickels are the toughest coin made. How did you get it so clean? Looks like it was never even in the ground. Every old nickel dug I have ever seen was red. Please share your cleaning methods!
I first scanned this at 3200 dpi and the scratches are there. I don't think it should be quite that particular but I am not an expert either. "You have to remember they were trying to buy the coin". As far as cleaning I carry an old aspirin bottle with a mix of water and detergent. By the time I get home the dirt falls off. As far as the color of the coin I do get some that are this color but also many that are red. The red ones seem to come from house lawns that probably saw fertilizer. This coin was from and old country school lawn that has been closed for 50 years. Those type of lawns seem to be much easier on the nickels. I also have an Omega 8000 and it ground balances at 58 to 62 which I think is quite low. So I think our soil is fairly mild. Thanks.
greedykind
Member
NICE BUFFALO
banditicey
New member
A Lesson Learned
BUT
WHAT A COIN
Congrats
BUT
WHAT A COIN
Congrats
E-Trac-Ohio
Well-known member
Very nice !
DirtyDeedsDugDirtDeep
Member
Very nice conditioned find.
I had found a 17 over 18 D many years ago and unfortunately it wasn't that well preserved.
Did you find it in a protected area, such as under an old porch or something ?
I had found a 17 over 18 D many years ago and unfortunately it wasn't that well preserved.
Did you find it in a protected area, such as under an old porch or something ?
E-TREC-Virginia
New member
Wonderful find in great condition. I would guess that at least half of the Buffalo's that I find I cannot get a date off of. I would love to find one in that condition no matter what the date. Big congrats.
LandOLincoln
New member
All the nickels around here come out rusty red. I would love to find some that look like that.
niterider_58
New member
Find of a lifetime for sure congratulations.
Big Boys Hobbies
Well-known member
I would hang on to it as well! Congrats!
There are some guys who would've just thrown it in with their other nickles and called it a day. At least you took the time to investigate what you found. Next time, leave it alone - don't rub it ( I know the suspense will kill you) until you get home. Also, If you suspect it has a chance of being valuable, put it in a separate pocket. Great find ~ congratulations!
Sent the nickel with an ANACS rep that was at the Nebraska Numismatic Association coin show in South Sioux City last summer. It cost $59 to get it certified. Came back F15 with zero comments. I recently sold it to a local coin dealer for $900 more than any previous offers prior to getting it certified. A good lesson learned. Get it certified if it is a valuable key date.
