No "loop" in the "R", but no mintmark either. I'm not very good at spotting the other tell-tale signs (casting bubbles, "weak" strike, etc.) (I *think* I see a bubble between "GOD" and "WE"...) It weighs on the heavy side of 5.0 grams (occasionally flickers to 5.1 but never stays there). Edit: can anyone tell me why CoinTalk is rotating my pictures 90 degrees to the right...?
It is to my understanding that all 1944 Henning nickels have the "looped R". Henning nickels normally weigh 5.2 grams (vs 5.0 grams for real nickels), but wear could make the weight negligible. Another possibility is that it's an undiscovered counterfeit -- although unlikely. My guess is it's real and the mintmark was removed.
It may. It's certainly possible that someone removed it trying to pass it off as a Henning nickel. Not sure if someone would try that since the looped R is non-existent, but who knows. I imagine someone who is a Henning expert could answer your question with certainty. Hopefully there's one on this forum.
Here are some closeups. Sorry for the plethora of attachments; wasn't sure exactly where to photograph and my setup only covers a small area. What do you all think?
There are other 1944 dated die struck counterfeits - they may or may not be Henning nickels. They are fewer in number than the Henning nickels. The Henning nickels are well known because of the sheer number said to have been made - approximately 200,000 of them. But during that era from early in the 20th century on up into the 1950s there were other lesser known illicit mintings of even small denomination coins. Incredibly even cents were counterfeited, but not so much after WWI, but nickels were somewhat popular because unlike silver coinage they didn't get quite as much scrutiny and in the case of the Buffalo nickels they could be artificially worn down to make them much more passable as an "authentic" coin.
Not correct Henning had several different rev dies and only one had the "looped R". 1944 Hennings come with and without the looped R. The looped R is more common I believe. I'd say chances are good that you have a Henning and not an altered coin.
If this is true, then I was misinformed. Again, I would consult with an expert in Henning nickels (if there is such a thing). Do TPG's authenticate them?
Incredible. On one hand, Dan Carr gets crucified. On the other hand, folks are actually worried that the fake they bought might be a fake of a fake and multiple posters offer specific die characteristics of the subject "fake" to determine that the "fake" isn't a "fake". This is really all faked! Up!
It's not really clear whether Doug is actually "worried" about the coin being a fake of a fake. For all we know he may believe Henning produced coins are unethical - just like Daniel Carr produced coins.
ICG will slab them, but I don't know if they will "authenticate" them. As for an expert on the Hennings, there is one on one of the forums, I don't know if he is on this one though. I believe his handle is Pyrob.
