Buffalo Nickels

[mn90403]

When I was a kid collecting coins, I was told that the dates had been ground off of Buffalo nickels so that they wouldn't be collected.  Dates were still found on other silver coins at the time, but nickels were said to be different as they didn't want them taken out of circulation by collectors.

Recently someone on the forum found an Buffalo and I began to wonder about that story.  The nickel was said to have a good date and could be very valuable.

As the story I read explained, there was no effort to remove dates from the nickels.  The nickels were designed with a 'flaw' which raised the date area so high that with circulation the date would wear off first.  It was simply the highest part of the coin.

Is that your understanding also?

[Ripcode]

Yes, normal handling and circulation wore the dates off buffalo nickels.

[Hardtimehermit]

yep you got it 👍

[JCR]

 I suspect Nickels changed hands more than any other coin. They are also larger and not lost as often as the smaller coins, therefore staying in circulation longer.

[EL NINO77]

In my opinion, it is also a nickel alloy, which may be softer than nickel alloys usually are.. wear also affects the relief of the coin.. I admit that I was immediately surprised..

[JCR]

@EL NINO77,  It looks like you find a fair number of US coins. Are most from the troops that were there during WW II?

[PulltabKing]

The Standing Liberty Quarter had the same problem until 1925. It was redesigned that year. 

Out of the few I've found, I've only found one with a date. The others I assume were pre 1925 since the date was smooth as a baby's butt. 

[EL NINO77]

This particular coin is a 5 cent buffalo coin..it comes from a collector's exchange..,, but I found an American dime.,, many Slovaks worked in the USA in the past...,, and I think they brought a few coins home..My great-grandfather also went to America with his brothers to work..to then return home and buy land and build houses..

American soldiers were not present in large numbers on the territory of Slovakia during World War II.. there was an OSS group there... but during the Slovak National Uprising against fascist Germany.. they helped supply the rebel military partisan units with equipment and weapons by air... the fight with the enemy was very cruel..

 

[Bob S.]

15 hours ago, mn90403 said:

When I was a kid collecting coins, I was told that the dates had been ground off of Buffalo nickels so that they wouldn't be collected.  Dates were still found on other silver coins at the time, but nickels were said to be different as they didn't want them taken out of circulation by collectors.

Recently someone on the forum found an Buffalo and I began to wonder about that story.  The nickel was said to have a good date and could be very valuable.

As the story I read explained, there was no effort to remove dates from the nickels.  The nickels were designed with a 'flaw' which raised the date area so high that with circulation the date would wear off first.  It was simply the highest part of the coin.

Is that your understanding also?

That is correct! If you have nickels with no date, there used to be an etching solution available in the 50s and 60's called "Nic-A-Date" that can be used to bring the worn date back to "readable". I believe it might still be available. It contains weak ferrous chloride, which in stronger form was used to etch printed circuit boards.