The Atlantic City Set of Jefferson Nickels (1938-Date)
1953

Owner Comments:

Mintage: 46.6 Million
Full Step Availability: 0.2%
Date/mm Information: Nagengast writes "Really a common coin if one cares nothing about quality. Most of this issue is of very poor quality. Dark colored, poorly struck, nicked and marked coins are the norm.

Coin Description:
The 1953-P is typically one of the worst struck coins of the entire series. The current example is far from poorly struck despite it's mushy steps. The obverse has almost complete hair detail and all of Monticello's details are distinct. Dove grey satin surfaces are complimented by soft orange on the obverse and light champagne toning on the reverse.

Comments:
While not visually impressive, sometimes quality is relative. Compared to other 1953-P Jefferson Nickels, the reason for the assigned grade becomes evident. Unfortunately I had no idea how to price this coin. With a population of less than a dozen and no existing auction records, the price guides were empty. The result was a $250 price tag for a small population top pop in an E-Bay auction in October 2009.