1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

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Razael
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1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#1 Unread post by Razael »

Hello all, first time posting.

I got a roll of buffalo nickels that my dad had hidden away. And all of them but one looked "normal" to me. But I call this one my Zombie buffalo because the ribs on this looks like it was removed. Wasn't sure if this might be a mint error. When I do searches on Google for 1936 buffalo nickel errors, I get the 31/2 leg but haven't seen anything like this. My question is how would this be classified? It looks like a grid in the rib area, but all the other buffalos I have don't look like this. I had to take the pictures from my digital microscope because my phone camera is a piece of junk. If anyone has seen this or knows what this is classified as I would appreciate any information. I'm making an attempt to add the pictures as attachments. I'm hoping this will work.

thanks,
Razael
Attachments
1936 front.jpg
1936 back.jpg

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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#2 Unread post by DSCoins »

Post Mint Damage. This could not happen at the mint.
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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#3 Unread post by SensibleSal66 »

I agree . PMD
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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#4 Unread post by JTCC »

you see how part of the design on the head of the Indian on the obverse has been crushed? this meant brute force was applied on the reverse of the coin. which matches perfectly with the "ribs" you see on the buffalo. so PMD, but still a cool piece!
Last edited by JTCC on Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#5 Unread post by DSCoins »

You're trying way to hard. What you are seeing is Post Mint Damage. What you are see can not happen at the mint.

I recommend you study the following sites.

Error-Ref and Wexler's Coins and Die Varieties
These two sites will help teach you about what a variety/ errors coin looks like. I cannot stress enough how important it is to not just read the sites but to study them in depth, until they are seared into your brain.
I also suggest that until you learn the above and what can and cannot happen to a coin at the mint. You need to stick to looking for known errors. You will find what the TPGs will recognize as varieties on the PCGS. This will save you a lot of time in having to take photos and then posting them, only to told it is not what you think.
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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#6 Unread post by Earle42 »

Wow...poor thing has its innards showin'!

Good answer by JTCC. If you see an anomaly on a coin, look at the other side as well. It can give clues like this. B/c the surfaces inside the punched areas look the same as the rest of the coin's fields, it appears this coin also saw circulation for some time after the damage was done.

Zombie indeed!
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How much squash would a sasquatch squash if a sasquatch would squash squash?

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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#7 Unread post by Daniel »

Looks like someone's attempt at a hobo nickel, people carve on them a lot. So it's damaged.

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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#8 Unread post by Razael »

Thank you everyone, I appreciate the information. When it comes to this kind of thing I'd rather ask the questions to someone who would know better than me. And on top of that, you get some good advice to be able to figure things out better. Just recently got interested in coins, I'm still going to keep the zombie coin it looks cool. But now that I look at one of the 1936 coins without the damage, I see on the face where the cheek would be it looks very smashed. I thought it was just normal wearing. I learned a few things, thank you! I'll definitely check out those sites DSCoins.

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Re: 1936 Buffalo Nickel - is this a mint error or variety?

#9 Unread post by Earle42 »

I'm still going to keep the zombie coin it looks cool.
Agreed. Something like this is fun to keep.
Common grading company shortcomings & resulting co$tly mi$take$ to collectors (using Kennedy No FG halves):
https://tinyurl.com/y7rksxu8

How much squash would a sasquatch squash if a sasquatch would squash squash?

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