Hello, I recently finished going thru about 600 pre 60 Jeffs I picked up and came across this 1946 Jefferson Nickel which is a counterfeit. I'd heard that someone by the name of Henning had made fakes during cetain years, I believe 1946 was one of them. The nickel is lighter in weight than normal nickels weighing only 4.3 grams and shows signs of mending obv and rev together. I don't know if this was the method Henning used or not. Anyone know anything on Henning nickels? I also found a 49-d/s vg/f in the bag which was I nice find for me.
http://www.numismaticenquirer.com/TNE/Henning%20Counterfeit%20Nickel.html Here's what your looking for.....Paddy
I can't explain the wieght, the coin however looks authentic. The coin looks to have acid damage, acid damage can occur from years buried in bad soil, or chemicals applied directly to coin.
Agreed about the coin being in some kind of chemical.....you should see a nickel that has made the trip thru the human digestive system! LOL I know this first hand as my sister's son swallowed one ! That was one black nickel....stomach acids did a major number on it.
Henning nickels were struck on genuine planchets, so the weight shouldn't be off. It's possible that someone would put two halves together, but if they don't form a rare combination, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Do you see a seam along the edge? My best guess is that it's a normal nickel, just with extensive environmental damage.
I couldn't see the point in someone counterfeiting a common date either, the coin does have a seam along the edge where someone has had the obverse and reverse adhere together (sandwich). It's not overly obvious but it's there. From info. gleaned here I take it that this is not the way Henning did his nickels. Guess there was more than one person making fake nickels as this one looks to have circulated for a while.
