Here is a coin I bought at a flea market a few years ago. It is a V nickle that is the same size and thickness as a penny. I believe it was altered posted mint but still kind of neat. Any ideas why anyone would do this to a nickle?
It's obviously post-mint damage. The last time a nickel cent was made was in 1864 and a transitional error seems out of the question to me. There isn't a rim or anything like that so it's not an overstrike. It also doesn't appear to be perfectly round. People have done many interesting things with coins. Even though these coins don't have much or any nuministic value, they are still collectable. Examples are the 1883 no cent "racketeer" V Nickel, hobo nickels, elongated cents, shrunken coins and good luck tokens.
My guess is they were working on reducing it to the size of a dime, thereby doubling it's face value. Yes to us today it sounds like a lot of work for just a nickel, but back in the 30's that nickel could represent a days groceries.
