It looks like the obverse has spots of red coloring that appear to look like copper.....But that can't be right....Right?
Joe, nickels are made up of two medals nickel and copper. .750 copper and .250 nickel your coin is what I call copper washed. Meaning that the two medals were not alloyed correctly . The copper color is showing on the surface, and will turn a green color next.
Also since that coin is over 50 years old and has seen some abuse, it may have been damage by chemicals, being buried or underwater for a while, which can react differently for each major metal. Some come out very red in discovery. Jim
We see this phenomenon on Roman coins of the mid-3rd century, when copper and silver were alloyed to make a base-metal coinage. It happens when the two metals are not completely alloyed and there are chunks of copper in the metal, resulting in a mottled appearance on the surface of the coin. The US 5-cent piece is actually 75% copper and 25% nickel. I'm surprised, actually, that this doesn't happen more often.
Heating a bi-metal coin can produre such an effect, as the different metals have a different melting point they will pull apart from each other at there respective temperatures.
Thank You Paddy, I just learned something today thanks to you ( and the other guys too! Thanks Guys!! )...I did not know that nickels were 75% copper...wow...
The only "nickels" that were pure nickel were the Canadian 5c coins minted from 1922-1981. They were magnetic and also resistant to corrosion and wear. These days more are circulating in the US than Canada because the RCM has been actively pulling them and melting them for their metal content. Here in the USA I am actively doing my part to retire these now 36+ year old coins but I am not melting them, just saving them in a big jug.
