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How to Grade Buffalo Nickels – What is The Grade of My Indian Head Nickel?

How to Accurately Grade Buffalo Nickels (a.k.a Indian Head Nickels)

By , About.com Guide

Mint State-67 (MS67 or MS-67)

Buffalo Nickel Graded Mint State 67 (MS67)Photo courtesy of Teletrade Coin Auctions, www.teletrade.com
Summary: The original mint luster is complete and almost perfect. There are only three or four very small and unnoticeable contact marks. Overall, the coin has an extraordinary eye appeal that is hardly ever seen. A few minor hairlines can be found only with magnification.
Obverse: No traces of wear are evident anywhere on the coin. There are no distracting marks and the mint luster is above average.
Reverse: All details of the coin are present even on the highest points of the coin and the eye appeal is superb.

Author's Note

I have been a coin collector for a majority of my life and I have witnessed firsthand the evolution of coin grading standards over the last forty years. Most recently, I have studied coin grading with professional coin graders from NGC and PCGS. I have read many books and worked with many coin dealers to sharpen my coin grading skills. The information presented in this article is my opinion on how to interpret the many coin grading standards that you will encounter. This is not a universal, absolute and definitive definition on how this particular coinage series should be graded.

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