What is the value of a double-struck nickel?

Answer 1

The value of any coin depends on its condition, scarcity, and many other bits of information. The first, and most important, question to ask here, though, is how it is "double-struck." Coins can become stuck in the presses and be struck multiple times, resulting in numerous different error types including caps (where the coin is deformed into looking like a bottle cap or worse), double images, and many more. Older coins can also be the result of a "doubled die," where part or all of the image appeared multiple times on the die that struck the coin. All these errors can be quite valuable. A more common form of doubling, though, comes from simple "die chatter" or "die bounce." This is the most common form on modern coins. As the die strikes the coin, it can bounce, leaving a partially "squashed" image very near the fully-struck image. This can be seen with the unaided eye, but usually requires magnification (10x, for example) to view it properly. This type of double-strike is quite common. While it can be interesting to show around and to teach kids about the minting process, this type of doubling doesn't add to the face value of the coin. __________________________________________________________________ It is also often referred to as a "proof" coin when the coins are double struck on specially-prepared planchets (blanks). Since 1968 proof coins have only been minted in the San Francisco Mint. These proof coins are struck much deeper than the typical coin and are not put into circulation. This lack of circulation partnered with the deeper impressions of the coin increase value exponentially.