Hello, My son brought this home from his tip jar at work. I'm not much of a coin guy.. Any information is appreciated...MJ
Well, Nickels are 75% copper to begin with and I have heard of folks collecting "red nickels" that may have had a bit more copper in the alloy mix, but I do not think that is the case with this nickel. I believe the reddish color is some type of environmental or chemical damage. It looks to me like the ding just shy of 6:00 on the reverse is showing the true color underneath, as are the scratches by the date. Mike
A well worn Obv and a ring tell me this nickle spent time stuck in a Dryer. That heat could have made the copper show more.. I am all most sure this was not missing nickle and a 100% copper nickle.But I am Not a Expert!!! someone may know more.
I concur with Minem2000. The color appears to be environmental damage that probably occurred after the coin left the mint. The color appears to be scrapped-off in some places. IMO. It is post mint damage and probably has no collector value. BTW, there are some error types that might interest you. These errors are "struck on sintered planchet" & "struck on wrong planchet". You can search this site for information on these error types. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that your coin is either of these. I believe your coin is post mint damage.
Thanks for the information.... The color is scraped off in some places. Definitely has been through a lot . It weighs 77.8gr/5.04gms on my reloading scale. Color seems to be spot on with a penny, except the raised areas are shiny....MJ