Found this beautifully colored 2005 Bison Nickel! I've read about sintered planchet, improper annealing, and copper washes. Are any of those things going on here? And there is a nice die chip in the "o"!
That's the thing about finding a coin that could have been in circulation for as much as 14 years. The discoloration could have been caused by almost anything. If it was any of the three things that you suggested, why didn't it affect both sides? Chris
I also don’t think the nickel is improperly annealed. A real one should be darker in color, while retaining a shiny surface. Here is one I got. And surely as Chris said, should affect both sides. On the other hand, @Wanderingbark116, interesting die break on the “o”.
I love the die break lol!! According to some of the PCGS stuff I've read, colors can range from black to pink to red to copper apparently. Some even have those colors with that black like your quarter underneath.
I try my best to research as much as possible before bouncing things off you guys. Don't want to bug y'all with too much that Google can answer lol
This series of the Jefferson nickels especially the 2005 buffalo nickels tone this color. I believe it was the wash they used. Even the proof sets sold from the mint toned this golden color.
Thanks for your tips, @Oldhoopster. Guess the following is one of them. Interesting read. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/2017-d-new-jersey-ellis-island-improper-annealing.307775/
That thread is awesome!! Going to look at my coins after I get my kids settled with Breakfast!! Thank you!
It's a nickel so the quarter example doesn't help. The coloring is on the rim and goes all the way around.
btw, with copper washes, you have industrial/ commercial/ shop types which can be consistent, etc and then you have home stuff which can be inconsistent. I use spare acid to clean coins. I actually indirectly copper wash many coins. The copper as it falls in the solution, if you do not agitate the container, will just fall directly down in a sense. It won't get copper (as much) on the top surface. And if you have coins not really stacked, the copper wash would only cover part of the surface, the one not covered. And you can get partial copper wash on the top surfaces, the bottoms wouldn't have copper or maybe very lightly. And any weird stains can transfer through the solution too. I've posted some in the past.
That would explain perfectly the consistent coating on the reverse and the ring like/ aura coloration on the back! I think it might have been reverse side up and had some stuff settle on it!
well the term "copper wash" can be very varied. My example above of the acid removes copper from a giving object, in this case a penny, it becomes floating/suspended in the solution and just ends up on other objects (other coins). This is just a plain acid solution with no suspension properties. In the past I've done "real" copper & gold wash stuff in relation to musical instruments. Also brush plating. Although I send out real plating stuff to Anderson Plating in Indiana. Basically there's a multitude of methods to transfer one metal to another. But with experience you can recognize it. Your nickel, for example isn't copper washed. Copper is part of the material of a nickel, which happens to be 75% Copper - 25% Nickel. So think about that.