1913 5C Type 1 PR66 认证号12501507, PCGS号3988

One thing to remember when viewing this particular coin: the color in the photo is not 'juiced' in any way, and more importantly, the colors are 'original'. The coin was literally graded and slabbed by PCGS in the last few months, and as we all are aware, the service is not letting any coin with this level of color in their holders without a certainty as to the authenticity. From my own eye, the coin surface has a thick and crusty skin, and the original luster that comes through the colors is pure 'blast', from any angle that one can turn and/or view the coin. It is a remarkable specimen, and most likely, unique. Obverse and reverse are evenly toned, and the surface is more 'satin' than pure matte, in my opinion. The striking details are full and decent, but the Type I is not known for typically having an extraordinary strike, like one might see in the '15 or '16. I'm going to submit the entire collection for serial number consistency and Tru-views in the near future. In terms of equating to MPLs, Nickel tones differently (even though the coin is made of more copper than nickel, ironically). This coin shows some of the hard to find colors in this series - specifically, the lime greens and the orange-magenta family colors are rare. The blues are also very rare, but extremely beautiful, and can be seen on a few spots on this coin. The coin does possess stray diagnostic lines in different locations, and I'm doing a study on some of the die lines now. Each one of the coins in the collection is unique, and one coin (the 1914) is actually concentrically-toned on both obverse and reverse, if you can imagine. Still, some of the others years are not heavily toned, but make up for the lack of color in different ways; for example, one has the most fantastic detailed strikes imaginable. So I will work on the collection from descriptive, historical and education perspectives, and see if I can't persuade some of my fellow matte Lincoln collectors that there is some awesome beauty and symbolism in this series, which is similar, but still different enough from the MPL series to make the collecting challenging and interesting. I see the series as different from the copper coins, but just a compelling and beautiful within a different set of rules.

Ron Guth

In 1913, the new Buffalo Nickel appeared to enthusiastic reception from the public.  The Mint made the normal strikes for circulation and Proofs for sale to collectors.  Proof Buffalo Nickels were given the matte finish that first appeared on Lincoln Cents in 1909, which was a framatic change from the brilliant Proofs of previous years.  The matte finish is definitely an acquired taste, because it is not dramatically different, at first glance, from a normal circulation strike.  However, a well-made matte Proof has crisp details, mark-free surfaces, and a sharply-squared border. 

A large percentage of the reported mintage of matte Proof 1913 Type I Nickels have been certified by PCGS (337 out of 1,520, as of February 2012).  Of these, the majority appear in the grade range between PR-64 and PR-66.  The finest examples certified by PCGS are three PR-68s.