As some of you are aware, I put together sample packets of coins, to hand out to young people I met in public, hoping to get them interested in coin collecting. Well, I buy relatively inexpensive cents, nickels, dimes, and if I run across a deal, even quarters, to package, with a challenge for the person to research and find out as much as they can about them. I even suggest they talk to their teacher about the possibility of getting extra credit for giving a report on their research. Most recently, I ran out of Liberty Head, and Buffalo nickels, so went on a search to obtain more. Boy, those Indian Head cents are outrageous, and the buffalo nickels aren't as cheap as there were when I started this. Let's not even mention the Liberty Head nickels. Well, in the course of getting a "deal" on 474 Liberty Head nickels, all with readable dates and features, I began going through them. I hadn't paid any attention to Liberty Head nickels prior to this, but we know how "coin nuts" just can't ignore a pile of coins that they haven't personally gone through, so I got involved and did my research. I had no clue that while the Liberty Head nickel was minted from 1883 until 1912 (a few 1913's known to exist), and they were all minted in Philadelphia. I never knew that all of them, except the 1912 nickel, had no mint marks. This makes the 1912 D, and S minted coins worth more than just a few pennies. I also discovered several other dates that collectors will pay a few dollars for. Prior to this, I had just been giving out the Liberty Head and Buffalo nickels, without paying much attention to them. I discovered that of the pile of coins, I had a large number of seemingly collectible dates, along with 12 1912 D, I had 2 1912 S nickels, and they are in fine, or better, condition. Along with other dates that seem to be worth a few dollars, and then I found this one. At first, I was positive it was a road kill coin. You know, laid in a street or parking lot and was run over hundreds of time, but upon closer look, and then a magnifier, I became more and more convinced, it was more than just a beat up old coin. I believe it to be a totally fractured planchet that for some reason held on through the minting process and then circulation. I couldn't believe a planchet that bad off, could have survived (and in one piece at that), but other than a coin that someone froze and struck hard to create the effect. I can't think of how it came to be. I've taken several of the best photos I'm capable of, and hope they are good enough for some of our experts to give us an opinion. Study the photos and let me know your honest opinion. Even with my vision issues and poor eye sight, I don't think I'm "seeing things." I will happily send the coin to any of our specialist, to review in hand. Just let me know. @Fred Weinberg Ed Padilla @paddyman98 Joe Cronin @JCro57 Others?
Glad to hear from you and what a wonderful thing you’ve been doing. If I saw this coin I would say the same thing, a fractured die. After looking a bit closer it may be a defective planchet that has worn like this. There are signs of lamination errors.
I think the surface of your coin looks the way it does due to it having, at some time in its life, heavy corrossion that was removed with some mild acid, especially the edge that has channels/grooves in it.
I'd have to be in the cleaned-off corrosion camp. I'm no expert, however, and you could be right about the planchet. I'd like to see some actual experts comment here.
The 1912-D Liberty Nickel is an odd case price wise. In grades up to VF, it sells for the same money as any other common date. A Good-4 1912-D is worth no more than a Good-4 1912-P. In VF and above, the coin sells for ever increasing amounts. In Mint State, it is worth over $1,000. The 1912 D and S coins were the first nickels to be stuck at a branch mint. The Denver Mint started striking them in February. The San Francisco Mint didn’t get around to it until the last week in December. The mintage was less than a quarter million, which makes the coin a key date.
Chemical damage. Alan Herbert called these "sewer coins", presumably because raw sewage can create this effect over time.
