Owner Comments:
Total Graded: 73229
Total Deep Prooflike: 5
Percentage: 0.0068%
The original Jefferson with Monticello reverse is the longest running series in the type set. The new reverse represents a distinct type (although not included in this Registry set). There were a couple of temporary changes throughout the series – most notably the Silver war nickels, and the 2004-2005 Westward Journey Nickels. What this means is that there is a wide range of choices for prooflike examples – the three main eras of prooflike coinage in the 20th century are all represented. These are the S mint coins of the late 30’s through early 50’s, coins of 1968-1972, and modern coins starting in the mid 80s. I have examples of the earliest and latest eras.
Jefferson nickels are one of the series which are often collected by strike, with the reverse being designated as Full Steps. While building other sets, such as my Franklin Half Dollar set, I came to realize that a strong strike was important to me. However, S mint coins of the 1930s to 1950s are usually quite challenging across all denominations to find with a good strike. Modern coins are usually easier to find with Full Steps. Across the series, prooflike coins are roughly divided in half between FS and non-FS coins.
My early representative is a 1946S, and has the abysmal strike you would expect. The surfaces are fully mirrored, and characterized by strong die polish on both sides (as is expected of prooflikes of this era). It is a beautiful mid-die state coin, with obvious mirrors and plenty of eye appeal. It has almost certainly been dipped, but the strength of the coin (and the mark free surfaces) led to a clear 66PL grade.
For the modern example, I was lucky enough to find one of the 5 DPL graded coins of the entire series. Interestingly, all 5 of these are from 1998D (two in MS-64, two in 65, and one in 66). All five of these coins have 6 Full Steps, the highest strike designation. A modern coin with the low grade of 65 would not normally be the coin I’d choose, but I couldn’t pass up the Deep Prooflike fields! They accentuate the marks, but those mirrors are deep and highly reflective.
I’ll take a moment here to mention that the Jefferson series was changed in 2004 to commemorate the Lewis and Clark expedition, with a series of four reverse designs. After the 2 year program, the Jefferson nickel permanently changed (and represents a new series, in my opinion). Among my collection, although not included in this Registry set, is an example of the Handshake reverse, graded 65PL, and the Bison reverse, graded 64 PL.