1925-S Buffalo Nickel. MS-65+ (PCGS).Intense satin to softly frosted mint frost blends with subtle iridescent gold and powder blue toning on both sides of this exceptional 1925-S nickel. The striking detail is far superior than usually seen for this challenging issue; the reverse is near-fully rendered and the obverse is sharp overall with just a touch of trivial softness to the central high point. The level of preservation is just as impressive, and both sides offer a silky smooth appearance and strong eye appeal. Struck from a boldly clashed obverse die, evidence for which is seen below the Native Americans chin and behind his neck.One of the most poorly produced issues in this series, the 1925-S is typically encountered with extreme softness of detail in the center of the obverse, over the high points of the bison on the reverse, and/or in the mintmark area on that side. This problem results from two deficiencies in the striking process: wide distance between the dies in the press and the use of worn dies. On many mintmarked 1925 Buffalo nickels that your cataloger (JLA) has seen, in fact, the mintmark is little more than a shapeless blob, making it impossible to attribute the coins as 1925-D or 1925-S. Due primarily to the poor quality of strike, this issue is notoriously difficult to locate in premium quality Gem Mint State, as here. This will be a significant find for the advanced collector specializing in this popular, yet challenging series.PCGS# 3956. NGC ID: 22S4.
