Owner Comments:
Name: Largesse (Homemade)
Mintage: 3.4 Million
Full Step Availability: 5%
Date/mm: Though plentiful in Mint State, 1941 S nickels were so poorly made that finding a truly satisfying example will be very difficult. Most have dull luster and soft or blurry details. The dies were run far too long, and when erosion lines formed these were simply polished away, taking the shallow design features with them. Gems of any die state are scarce, and those having either 5FS or 6FS are quite rare.
The Philadelphia Mint created a new S mintmark punch that was phased in during 1941 for all denomination other than the half dollar, which first appeared with the new, Large S punch in 1942. 1941 S nickels having the Large S are scarce in Mint State and will bring a good premium.
Variety Description: The 1941-S Large "S" is one of the most highly sought after Jefferson Nickel varieties and is very popular with roll searchers since it is distinguishable in the circulated grades. The variety bears the Fivaz-Stanton number FS-501 (formerly FS-024.5). According to Bernard Nagengast, less than 10 die pairs were used to create the 43.5 million 1941-S Jefferson Nickels with only one of those die pairs responsible for the Large "S" variety.
It is important to recognize not only the shape and size of the mintmark, but the orientation in relation to the other devices of the coin. The bottom edge of the small mintmark is roughly inline with the bottom edge of the window on Monticello. Also the style of the serifs are knoblike in nature and the bottom of the mintmark appears wider than the top of the mintmark.
Observations of the large mintmark are that it is slightly larger and more symmetrical in its width. Furthermore, the bottom edge of the mintmark is noticeably located below the bottom edge of the window on Monticello. Another important difference between the two styles of mintmark is that the Large "S" has a triangular shaped bottom serif that is very distinctive and varies significantly from the knob shape of the smaller mintmark.
Coin Description: Deeply toned in shades of apricot and dove grey, this coin is well struck, fully lustrous, and has premium gem surfaces
Comments: This coin is one of a handful of HOMEMADE coins in my collection. Originally purchased in an old ANACS slab MS65 836275, I cracked it and put it in my album collection where it resided for nearly a decade. In 2020, I decided it was just too nice to be an album coin and sent to NGC ($20 grading fee and $17 variety attribution fee) on 9/4/2020.