So I have this nickel with what I think is a die crack and was wondering if it had any value? Not looking to sell just can’t find any information about it.
Looks to be a Lamination issue. That is not a Die Crack on the Obverse. Die Cracks are raised above the field.
Lamination issues are caused when there is impurities in the metal and it delaminates or peels away. Also could be a defective Planchet.
...and, because it's not attractive, and it's in the date area, it will not bring any 'error' premium, and will probably have to be discounted a bit if sold to a 3CN collector.
I couldn't agree more with Paddy. The correct term for your coin is a three cent nickel. He Roman numeral for 3 is on the reverse. Nice looking coin.
Ok cool thanks everyone! I’m a newer collector and was just curious. It’s definitely a decent looking coin for it’s age and a great addition to my collection.
To be precise, the 3CN were called Nickels because of their composition. In 1865, the 5c coin was the silver half dime. In 1866, the Nickel 5c began to be struck and was also called a Nickel. The 3CN exited in 1873 and sometime after the 5c coin claimed sole position of the title.
TThere was a recent eBay auction with a 3 cent in similar condition that sold for $20 I don't know if the die crack adds value Here's a quick pic of one of mine in a 2x2 via cell phone pic
Actually the rarest item is an 1865 without a die crack. The mint had a heck of a lot of problems with these coins.
And before the three cent piece came along in 1865 the one cent pieces 1857 - 64 were called "nickels" So there have been five different types of coin, of two different compositions and three different denominations that have all had the nickname of "nickel".
And all in a relatively tight time frame, a decade... 1857-1858 Flying Eagle Cent - 88% Copper, 12% Nickel - 4.67g "Snowden didn’t choose this mix at random. He was being lobbied heavily by Joseph Wharton (and his monopoly of nickel mines) to use an alloy including this Nickel" [PCGS Coin Facts] 1859 Type 1 Indian Head Cent - 88% Copper, 12% Nickel - 4.70g 1860-1864 Type 2 Indian Head Cent - 88% Copper, 12% Nickel - 4.70g 1865 3 Cent Nickel - 75% Copper, 25% Nickel - 1.94g 1866.. date - Various designs - - 75% Copper, 25% Nickel - 5.00g [PCGS Coin Facts erroneously calls the 1866 1.94g - reported] Who was Joseph Wharton... you might have heard of the Wharton School? That guy... https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/about-wharton/ He's a member of the National Mining Hall of Fame (who knew there was such) https://mininghalloffame.org/inductee/wharton According to the Mining HoF, he led the first successful producer of Zinc metal in the US. In 1863, he sold that company to fund development of a closed nickel mine. The rest is history!
