If the coins are in the condition shown in the advert, it's fair, any lower condition, it's a rip off. For full date nickels my local coin dealer charges me 50 cents each. for coins worn down to where you can't read the date are 10 cents each.
Get to know your local coin dealer. Mine knows what I do with them and I get them at a discount. also, there is no reason you can't use whatever change you have in your pocket.
Those handpieces are meant to be used with a control box, they will not work by connecting directly to air pressure. You will need a control box made by GRS or Enset. these machines take the compressor air and then provide pulses of air to the hand piece which allow the piston to cycle back...
My home lathe is an Atlas 618 6 inch model, but I have a Sharp tool room lathe at work that I can use if need be. My skill level is tenacious amateur, I have a fair pile of failures to show for my successes. My E-mail address is gtsport at aol dot com. Looking forward to giving this a try!
Have you contacted Fred Weinberg, James Wiles, or Ken Potter? Fred is a member of Coin Community forum and Ken has an error group on facebook. Also, if you can find Tom Rogers out there, he worked at the U.S. mint as an engraver and in a conversation with him a few year back, he mentioned...
My semi educated guess would be the die had minor damage creating these lines and in the process of polishing out the damage the deeper ones were left behind. Since the out most parallel line is completely off of the Beaver, I don't think they were added to correct a problem with the fur. also...
Start with a radiused heel flat graver. I push from the rim towards the bust gently to shave just a little at a time and use overlapping pushes to keep it smooth until all the lines are gone and you have small waves instead of gouges. then move on to stones.