1944 5c - Very Weird War Nickel

Got this one from the melt bin. It stood out and I'm sure you can see why. LCS said it was possible LDS when I asked his thoughts on what class error it was, but I think it's not necessarily that, I've seen a lot of LDS and this has defined devices - just has extra metal also. When I think of late die stage Coins this just doesn't fit that entirely. What do y'all think?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Is it authentic?

 

Meaning is it a fake? No I don't think so. I'm not an expert but It certainly feels and looks real. The more I look, the more it appears to have another set of letters and numbers behind the clear set. Double struck? struck through?

 

Here is a BIG problem I see. The fields are smooth (no die flow at all) right up to the bubbly letters. That is not natural. It looks like a casting and a very poor one at that. Have you weighed the coin? What does the edge look like?

 

Hmm, I'll get better pics up in the next hour. I haven't weighed it, and i haven't payed close attention to the edge. When I purchased it I was looking for 1942/3 war nickels in that bin, and of the many many nickels I searched, this one felt and looked fine save for the bubbles. Btw, the opinion of LDS came from Bill Fivaz (via pics over email.) I should be ashamed for seeking another opinion

 

Not at all, Bill Fivaz is a pretty knowledgeable fellow that has written a book on detecting counterfeit gold. He also teaches classes. His opinion carries a lot of weight.

Did he examine the actual coin with his glass? Anyway, he would probably be the first to say get another opinion as I know he would respect mine.

 

Lol no I wish. I live about 2hrs from him and I must say the man is incredibly giving with knowledge and very humble (when we speak via the interwebs.) I hope to drive up there one day and get him to autograph my copy of cherry pickers guide. But no, he hasn't seen the coin in person, just that exact set of pics via email.

 

A possible lamination situation? These were noted for this but I've not seen it happen in this way before. Of course, it's an uneducated guess as I cannot see close enough to be sure.

 

Well, then that changes things. Back to square one and the edge.

 

I'll be home in about 15mins and my buddy let me borrow his camera. I'll post some better (hopefully) pics very soon. Would it help to take/post pics of this coin next to some other 44's I have? Also, I don't have a scale to weigh it
Thank u for helping! Would any other angles or styles of pics help?

 

I know all you love hearing this - "IT'S A CASTING"

 

very well could be. i certainly hope not, but ive never seen one "casted" before so i cannot definitively say. Hopefully more pictures will bring clarity to this topic

 

Does it have the large mint mark on the reverse (above Monticello's dome)?

 

yep, P. Reverse is fairly blotted up as well - if you wanna call this error that.

 

these suck, prob won't be a lot of help, but hopefully you can see what I do, that it looks real. Pics are of this coin and another 44 for comparison

 

anyone else think its a good idea to take it out of the flip if they expect answers?

 

Just a thought.. Plated then the plating wore off?

 

Best thought so far IMO, now that u mention it it looks a lot like maybe it was chrome plated at one point then wore off? Not sure if that's even a thing. when looking through the junk silver war nickel bin I do notice how some will still be much much shinier than others almost like they were proofs earlier in life. Maybe a local had some fun and then sold all his crap to the LCS?

 

I'm going to go with the plated then plating wore off theory too.