I believe this to be a U.S. 'Liberty Head' 5 cents piece, also known as 'V Nickel'. Does it seem to have a copper layer in the middle?
It belongs to a friend of mine. I'll have to get back to you on that. I thought it was all silver in color, but not positive, been awhile.
Yes, I thought it was silver too because it's so eroded. But according to what I can see, it seems like they never printed in silver during that year. https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces3683.html
It is a common date Liberty nickel. Probably would grade ag-3 to good-4. Save it because you would be lucky to get $1.00 for it. The composition of this nickel is .750 Copper and .250 nickel.
Francois, welcome to Coin Talk. The US Mint never produced a nickel with a copper core. They made coins worth 5 cents that contained %90 percent silver that were called "Half Dimes", last produced in in 1873. They also made nickels from 1942-1945 that contained 35% silver, 56% copper, and 9% manganese.
Except for the war years when they were 35% silver, all nickels are 75% copper, even though they are silver colored, and we call them nickels.
The nickel 5 cent piece was introduced in 1866. During the Civil War all gold and silver coins, including the silver half dime, which was the forerunner to the nickel, were hoarded for their metal content. The 5 cent nickel was introduced to redeem and replace 5 cent fractional notes which had become an embarrassment to the govenment. After the nickel was introduced, people found it more convenient to use that the tiny half dime. The composition of the piece has not changed since 1866, except during World War II. Nickel was a vital war material, and for that reason it was removed from the 5 cent piece from mid 1942 until 1945. The coin you have is a common date in the series and well worn. It is not worth very much as a collectors’ item but of historic interest. Think of it this way. Teddy Roosevelt was president when it was issued.
That is a common date Liberty Head or V nickel. It would be a G-4?at best and you can buy them for a buck or two. No silver.
