Preserving Buffalo Nickels: Expert Conservation Tips for Your 1913-S and 1928-S Coins

Save Your Buffalo Nickels From Heartbreaking Damage: A Collector’s Preservation Guide

As a numismatist who’s handled thousands of Buffalo Nickels over three decades, nothing devastates me more than seeing prized specimens like the legendary 1913-S Type 1 or elusive 1928-S “Two Feather” ruined by well-intentioned but misguided care. Let’s discuss how to protect these American icons so they survive another century with their numismatic value intact.

Why Buffalo Nickels Demand Special Attention

James Earle Fraser’s masterpiece design (1913-1938) tempts fate with three inherent vulnerabilities:

• High-relief targets: That iconic cheekbone and buffalo leg wear faster than a banker’s suit during the Depression
• Contaminant traps: Recessed fields become microscopic museums for environmental gunk
• Chemical reactivity: The copper-nickel blend tarnishes like silverware in a sulfur-rich environment

Just examine any 1913-S Type 1 – with its proud “FIVE CENTS” mound – or the enigmatic 1928-S. Their surfaces whisper cautionary tales of oxidation and mishandling that make collectors groan.

Toning: Nature’s Double-Edged Sword

That heated forum debate about MS63 vs MS65 grades? At its core, it’s about distinguishing between a coin’s captivating patina and its chemical demise. Remember:

• Rainbow magic: Electric blues and sunset pinks signal stable sulfur reactions – nature’s artistry
• Death tones: Muddy greens or charcoal blacks scream active metal breakdown

“The difference between premium eye appeal and environmental damage often comes down to recognizing when toning stops enhancing and starts destroying,” I whispered to my loupe during that MS63/64 debate.

Spotting Oxidation’s Telltale Signs

That submitted 1928-S in the forum thread? A textbook case of trouble:

• Original luster fading into dull khaki
• Speckled “coin freckles” around lettering
• Rim toning advancing like kudzu toward the central devices

The PVC Plague: Your Collection’s Silent Killer

Those slimy green streaks haunting Buffalo Nickels? PVC damage – the boogeyman of numismatics. Our beloved series suffers especially because:

• Design recesses become plasticizer hotels
• Copper content turbocharges chemical reactions
• Damage often hides under gallery lights like a shifty forger

If your holders feel slick or smell like a 1978 Pontiac dashboard, evacuate your coins immediately!

Choosing Armor for Your Warriors

While third-party slabs offer excellent protection, true preservation demands more:

• Raw coins: SaFlip 2x2s with Mylar windows (the chainmail of numismatics)
• Slabbed treasures: Intercept Shield boxes with silica soldiers standing guard
• Collection killers: Rubber bands (the herpes of storage), cardboard flips, “party mix” tubes

The forum’s submission strategy showed wisdom – using grading services while maintaining personal preservation standards worthy of Fort Knox.

Cleaning Crimes: Why Buffalo Nickels Never Win

When members noted “rub marks on cheekbone and leg,” they identified cleaning’s cruel irony:

• Abrasions highlight wear points like neon arrows
• Chemicals leach copper like miners stripping ore
• Improper polishing creates unnatural “cartwheel” effects that graders spot faster than a 1916-D Mercury Dime

Even professional conservation should resemble archaeology – removing threats while preserving authentic surfaces. That AU58/55 debate on the 1928-S? Cleaning history likely caused the grading rift.

Environmental Warfare: Your Secret Grading Weapon

While forum warriors debated grades, few mentioned storage – the silent multiplier of numismatic value:

• Maintain 35-40% humidity (think Arizona monsoon season)
• Keep temperatures below 75°F – coins aren’t tropical fish
• Ban sulfur sources: wool socks, rubber bands, cheap albums

Seasonal shifts like Virginia Beach’s winter mentioned in-thread affect coins more than shipping ever could.

Case Study: Guarding the 1928-S “Two Feather”

This rare variety’s premium depends on feather clarity – the first casualties of poor care. Protect attribution-critical details by:

• Weekly 10x inspections (magnification reveals early threats)
• Boycotting felt-lined boxes (sulfur nests)
• Rotating slabs quarterly to prevent “pressure toning”

Stewardship Over Ownership: Our Numismatic Duty

These coins bridge us to America’s gritty past – each one a miniature monument. As shown by those CACG-graded forum examples, proper preservation:

• Saves feather counts and other attribution make-or-break details
• Maintains original surfaces for accurate grading
• Honors history for collectors yet unborn

Whether you safeguard a common date or crown jewel like the 1913-S Type 1, these techniques transform you from owner to guardian. Because when future collectors study our coins, let them marvel – not mourn.

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