acid treatment...

[the one and only]

i just purchased some buffalo;s that have been acid treat to enhance the date. is that a bad thing?

what acid do you used to do such a thing? is there any particular method to do it? thanks

[wavysteps]

As with all "enhancements" made outside the MINT, it makes the coin completely noncollectable and in this case basically worth a nickel.

Not only was this acid treatment applied to Buffalo nickels, but also to the Liberty nickel as well (I have examples of both).

I am sorry for the bad news and hopefully it was not to an expensive mistake.

BJ Neff

[the one and only]

really? the whole coin wasnt treated. just where the date is. the coins were partical date....hard to read and someone treated them with acid i guess to make the date easier to read. the coin package states....acid date. the actual coin looks like any other. you can notice a circle around the date where the acid was applied. but really only worth a nickel? nah i didnt pay hardly anything for them...but every single one i recieved is a key date. i have about 5 1913 type 1's


if they are only worth a nickel i would like the find a 3legged buffalo that be nice.

[the one and only]

i just took this picture to try and show what i mean.

[wavysteps]

I am glad that the price for these was low, so your loss was not great.

Even though just a small portion of the coin was treated, it is considered deliberate damage and thus shunned by collectors. This practice of date enhancement is in the same category as pseudo clashes (transferring of design through the use of two coins in a vise); they are meant to entice a person to buy something of little or no value.

I am sorry, but even after viewing the coin, I still maintain that it is worth just a nickel.

BJ Neff

[the one and only]

eh ohwell....i just use them as fillers.

[florida]

Acid treated buffalos

At work a few weeks ago, I found a date-worn Buffalo Nickel in a roll of nickels; luckily it was a Denver coin. I ended up buying the Nic-A-Date for it and found it to be a 1914-D. Would it still pretty much be worthless even though it's the second-most expensive Denver date (which is not a variety)?

[wavysteps]

Any coin that has been altered out side the MINT, which includes acid treatment, enhancement, reconstruction (there are exceptions with some rare holed coins that have been repaired) are in general considered non-collectible and thus worth face value.

BJ Neff

[the one and only]

i dunno why but i dont agree with only worth face value...i think there is several collectors out there that would pay more than face value for one that has been acid treated...me being one of them