Hey I have another one here that just may be a rarity, I seen a video on these nickels and the transition of metals, now the video said there was two tests you could do to check the transitional error, I did the drop test very carefully on my countertop flat side down, I have two other 43 nickels and those gave a nice crisp ring, this one does not, kinda dull like a regular nickel, the other test mentioned was a specific gravity test, I have not done that one, in the words In god we trust it is greenish, so this may be the copper composition instead of the silver.
My point is these Nickle dates should have silver in them, why does my other two 43 nics have a crisp silver ring to them and this doesn't, this may have the 1942 composition with no silver, it weighs 4.7g
The "sound test" is one of the least accurate ways to determine the metal composition of a coin. The weight of wartime nickels is the same as all the other Jefferson Nickels. (5g +/- .194g). 4.7g is slightly under the allowable tolerance. Your nickel is worn so that could account for it or it could've been minted on a thin planchet. The best way to obtain the composition of a coin is by an XRF machine. Check if your LCS or Jeweler has one. Then have it analyzed.
While the coin doesn't look corroded, it does look worn. I wonder if it could have lost some weight to corrosion at some point, then gotten enough wear to hide the evidence... probably not, I suppose.
Nickel is the noun, nickle is the presumed verb form. “to nickle a coin” could mean something like producing a 5 cent coin
The transition year was 1942 for nickels, when they made regular nickels at Philadelphia and Denver, and war nickels at Philadelphia and San Francisco. The ring test is non scientific and almost meaningless.
nickel :: noun A silvery, hard, ductile, ferromagnetic metallic element used in alloys, in corrosion-resistant surfaces and batteries, and for electroplating. Atomic number 28; atomic weight 58.69; melting point 1,453°C; boiling point 2,732°C; specific gravity 8.902; valence 0, 1, 2, 3. :: noun A U.S. coin worth five cents, made of a nickel and copper alloy. nickle :: noun Common misspelling of nickel. *Definitions from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition*
The large P on the reverse above the dome on Monticello indicates that the coin contains silver as per the US Mint's required specifications regardless of what it sounds like.
The Henning nickels (most common 1944) have no large letter above the dome. And they are going for $50 or so on Ebay even with the pot metal composition.