i have just discovered that in the back of my closet, there are some coins I have never seen before one of the is a 1943 steel nickel but there is something very unusual about it. it is as shiny as a proof coin but it's not uncirculated and it's not a proof! why is it so shiny?? (i'm going to post a picture ASAP) -Josh-
just looked for more of the same. there are about 6 coins that look the same in there and they include a lincoln memorial and a 1880-P morgan dollar
That's certainly consistent with the theory that they may have been plated, probably in a high school chem lab. Why else would copper (the cent) and silver (the 35% "1943 steel nickel" and the 90% Morgan) all have similar appearances?
Josh - Are you saying that all of the coins are the same color - or do they just all appear to be shiny but different colors ? In other words - is the copper cent still copper colored just shiny ? And is the nickel the same color as the Morgan ? If the colors are indeed different - then I would say someone used a jeweler's cloth to polish the coins. If they are all the same color - then I would agree that the coins have been plated. When a coin is plated it can be done several ways. But one of the most common is electro-plating. That is when silver ( or another metal ) is placed into a liquid solution - then the coin is dipped into the liquid and electricity passed through it. This causes the metal in solution to stick to the surface of the coin thus plating it. Plating is but a very thin layer of one material over top of another material.
