Hello forum I'm new to this and I was wondering what you guys thought of this 2005 nickel I found I want to know I find it just am odd piece if it's worth anything and where to start etc pictures of front and back
FYI – If it would be hot enough to damage coins, how would the drum and other components stay intact. The damage to a dryer coin is caused by constant rotation and tumbling. Dryers do not get hot enough to do any significant damage to coins, unless it is right next to the burner/heating element in which case it wouldn’t be tumbling . Not a big deal, but I just wanted to clarify
How long do you think a coin like this remained in the dryer before it was removed? One cycle? Ten cycles? Three months? Six months?
Welcome to the neighborhood, Kiekie! As stated, this looks like a dryer coin and is not worth more than face value.
I suppose you've heard of the term "dryer coin". It's only been around for 40 years! In case you didn't know , a coin can find itself it multiple different places inside a dryer that the temp is high enough to damage a coin. Like say between the drum and the drum support. What? metal against metal caught between metal. Yeah that might make the temp rise a bit! Have you ever taken a dryer apart? I'm guessing NO!
You're correct, I've never taken a dryer apart, but I do know that the melting point of 25Ni75Cu alloy is approx. 1200C. I wouldn’t expect the strength and/or hardness of the cupronickel alloy to be significantly reduced when the temp is raised from room temperature to only 200-300C. These aren't plastics. The heat doesn’t affect the steel components in the dryer. Your metal cookware doesn’t lose significant strength in a 200-250C oven. I just have a hard time believing that the metallurgical properties of the 75Cu25Ni alloy could be so different from metal dryer components at such relatively low temperatures. Maybe one of the metallurgists can let me know if I’m missing something. Until then, I just don’t see the data that indicates anything other than physical contact contributes to the appearance of a dryer coin.
Welcome to the craziness of this forum @Kiekie. There are a lot of knowledgeable members here to help (for free) with questions about collecting, coins, currency, and a lot of other things. While a dryer coin may be associated in the true sense with quarters (laundromats), any coin can get "stuck" in a washer or dryer and abused. Here is a good illustration of what could happen. I, personally, don't believe your nickel is a dryer coin, but rather fell fate to some other type of abuse, like a rock tumbler, or something that kept it moving against other objects to wear it down. Think of a coin in the sand at the beach, constantly being washed against the grains with each wave. The bottom line is that it is PMD, or Post Mint Damage, meaning it happened after it left the mint, so not an error, just an oddity. And NAV, No Added Value, so still worth just a nickel. Keep up the watchful eye and post when you think we can help. Good luck.
BTW, to add my usual advice on photos, here is a suggestion. You should always post in focus FULL IMAGE photos (after you upload your photo, two buttons appear: Thumbnail and Full Image, click Full Image and your photo appears full size on your post and is easily enlarged by clicking on it. While it isn’t always necessary, it is nice to show both the obverse and reverse, even if your question is just about one side. Members can often give more valuable information having both sides to evaluate. Crop out superfluous background so just the coin shows, and post photos with correct orientation so members don't have to turn their computer in some awkward fashion to view it properly. Add close ups of areas you have questions about and make your questions as definitive as possible so we know what you are asking for. And try to have the best lighting possible to show the most favorable photo of the coin. Hope this helps in the future. Good luck.