1917-S 5C MS 65

Description

Iridescent fully struck Gem! The collector (and saving) of coins in the 20th Century had a few distinct eras. Prior to about 1910, most collectors didn’t pay attention to Mint marks…they just wanted one of every date. Then collectors started collecting dates and Mints. The next change came in the 1930’s with the introduction of coin albums. This greatly increased the demand for collecting coins and dealers (and others) began saving original bank rolls of Uncirculated coins. The result (for us) is that original Uncirculated coins from 1934 on are much more available than prior to that time. And for the pre-1934 era, the branch Mints (San Francisco and Denver) were not saved in any significant quantities and are generally rarer than the Philadelphia Mint issues. In addition to that, The D-Mints and S-Mints seem to be much more poorly struck, adding another layer of rarity. For Buffalo nickels this is definitely the case as D-Mints and S-Mints are the real rarities. This 1917 San Francisco is a tough coin to find in Gem condition and this is a beauty. The hair braids, horn, and tail are fully struck and the luster is a beautiful golden iridescent. A rare Buffalo in spectacular condition