I do not know a lot about sintered planchets, but I think I have something. I’m relatively certain the left one is, maybe even the right, thought that could just be circulation. Can anyone weigh in on if these are black beauties? @cpm9ball @furryfrog02 @JCro57 @paddyman98 @Paddy54 @Rick Stachowski
From the looks and color of the specimens I say yes, however as a collector from my generation I always believed the term" black beauties" to refer to the 1959 series of nickels. If you research the term I believe the first were found in 1959 in MS coins. Others do believe ,or have considered dates around 1959 to be sintered platchets coins also. This series has produced some colorful toned and dark specimens in both proof and mint state coins durring the late 50's and early 60's. I can also assure you environmental damage can also produce simular effects.
1961 - Maybe 1959 - Environmental Damage They best way to determine a Improperly Annealed Nickel is if it came out of a sealed Mint sewn Nickel Bag or looking at the edge. IMHO
I believe your 1961 actually could be. It still has a degree of Mint luster which it needs to have, and the darker tone is uniform throughout. I vote "yes" to the 1961 example. As for the 1959 nickel, I just can't tell. Also, there actually are 1958 Black Beauties as well as other dates. 1959 had a relatively large number of them, and so many come to understand the term as being exclusively for that date. Sometimes the over-annealing actually draws out the copper in addition to darkening it, leaving a red haze on the surface like this 1997 example. It can get even more extreme by leaving a copper-colored crust/shell in spots on the surface (though some feel it is actually copper dust leftover from annealed cents that adhere to them. "Sintered" means a solid mass that formed from powder after heating without liquification. However, cents are no longer annealed since 1982 as the zinc core is soft enough to strike, and the planchets aren't produced at the Mint anymore. Thus the "copper dust" theory can't explain how coins after 1982 get copper spotting when improperly annealed). Below is a 1960 example where a copper shell formed on the obverse. And below is an even more extreme case. This 1968 example is the thick shell which foramed over the top of a nickel that actually became detached after it was struck, and looks as if it were struck on a defective cent planchet.
I’m almost 100% certain I tossed an over-annealed nickel back into the pile a month or two ago... I regret not tagging you when I asked about it.
The key diagnostic is the edge. Much of the surface area should be the normal color. (Learned this from a @Fred Weinberg post but am too lazy to find the link)
I reposted his post last month. But I'm too lazy to find my post about it too. I guess the search feature could help. lol
@Clawcoins is this it? https://www.cointalk.com/threads/19...is-a-improperly-annealed.323135/#post-3183442 @Oldhoopster, this post from Fred Weinberg (from Clawcoins post)? https://www.cointalk.com/threads/20...sland-improper-annealing.307775/#post-2941734
I read all the posts, but it seems this works best for glad Coins. I don’t know how this translates for nickels.
They should also have some 'luster', even if they're dark. The 1961 might be a mis-annealed planchet, but not on those 1959's. (although that's the most common date, then 1958's)
Anything that could help settle the maybe? This was pulled from 10,000 nickels that included war, buffalo and some liberty nickels. It’s always possible this is environmental damage, but I consider it rather unlikely that it was made in someone’s oven.
Pile on post. What do you folks think of the 1957-D nickel, middle bottom of the group. It has a distinctive red look to it. The close ups don’t do it justice. I need to get better lighting to get a better close up, but that will have wait until tomorrow.
IMO, no. Check the edges to see if they show areas of the normal CU/Ni appearance. Also, I believe improper annealing is not a very common occurrence. At some point in the production process a technician or operator is bound to see the dark color (or copper color if copper dust caused the earlier dated sintered Nickels) and would have adjusted the process. But there are lots and lots and lots of ways for the copper nickel composition to react with the environment. That's why @Fred Weinberg tip about the edges is so useful.
I've had this coin for nearly 15 years and always thought it might be an error of some kind. Thoughts on this piece as improperly annealed?
I’m glad someone posted here to remind me. The rim on that coin is just as the obverse and reverse, leading me to believe I did not have a black beauty.
