Very Shiny 1942 P war nickel

Discussion in 'What's it Worth' started by Haley♡, Apr 19, 2022.

  1. Haley♡

    Haley♡ Member

    I just came across this nickel in my change from the gas station. It is so shiny it almost looks fake! I tried looking it up but i didn't get very far. Can anyone tell me more about it? IMG_20220419_155920793_PORTRAIT~2.jpg IMG_20220419_155943669_PORTRAIT~2.jpg
     
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  3. potty dollar 1878

    potty dollar 1878 Well-Known Member

    Nice find!!your coin is not fake it has been polished to give it a very shiny appearance but still has around $1.00-$2.00 of silver in it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polishing https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide...&Series=Jefferson-Nickel-Wartime-Silver-Alloy
     
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  4. Paddy54

    Paddy54 Well-Known Member

    Off to see the Whizzer....
     
  5. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    This coin is silver (35%) and silver is the most reflective metal. Polishing it makes it really shiny (and pretty much negates any numismatic value)
     
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  6. Heavymetal

    Heavymetal Well-Known Member

    Very nice and shiny!
    It was plated after some time circulating.
    I have one. Nickel plated likely
    Will be slightly magnetic
     
  7. 1stSgt22

    1stSgt22 I'm just me!

    It's a war nickel!! During WWII the metal nickel was needed to support the war effort, so they changed the composition of the Jefferson nickel. I agree that your coin has been altered so it presents a shiny appearance! May be plated or may be polished. Look at all of the wear and it's obvious it has been in circulation for a long time. There's no way it would have retained that shine after that much handling! Still a nice coin and fun to own!!!
     
  8. Heavymetal

    Heavymetal Well-Known Member

    Here ya go
    Mine is 1942 S slightly magnetic
    Found searching rolls of nickels from the bank, CRH as we say image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
     
  9. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    LOL. The Wonderful World of Oz!!
    th (1).jpg
     
  10. JPD3

    JPD3 Well-Known Member

    Good catch in pocket change. :)
    I usually have to CRH to find one.
     
  11. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Slightly magnetic is incorrect. It would be slightly ferromagnetic ;)
     
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  12. Heavymetal

    Heavymetal Well-Known Member

    Let the record show
    Corrected Ferromagnetic D15F1A39-AF7F-4A1A-9E31-76B48DDC0314.jpeg
     
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  13. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Polished or whizzed as I didn’t look that closely but it contains silver so it’s a keeper.
     
  14. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Well-Known Member

    Nice find, but as stated above, now that someone has messed with it, it is only worth the silver content, IMHO.
     
  15. Haley♡

    Haley♡ Member

  16. Haley♡

    Haley♡ Member

  17. potty dollar 1878

    potty dollar 1878 Well-Known Member

    Screenshot_20220421-181603_Google.jpg Screenshot_20220421-181522_Google.jpg
     
  18. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor Supporter

    I must have missed something. I thought the 42P nickel was made in the middle of the year with about 50 million with the CuNi and another 50+ million with the silver and no way to tell apart without a "ray gun". Jim
     
  19. potty dollar 1878

    potty dollar 1878 Well-Known Member

    Yes you are partially correct the copper nickel versions have the mint marks on the right side of Monticello and for Philly no mint mark at all.The silver war nickels have the huge mint marks over the dome of Monticello, including Philly.
     
  20. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor Supporter

    Thank you! I do not collect them, but I will remember that difference.

    Jim
     
  21. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    I just finished give a talk that covered the war nickels to my local club. The large mint mark was added to the design because the mint was planning to withdraw these coins from circulation once World War II was over. The mint mark made it easy to identify these coins which contained 35% silver. The rest of the alloy was 56% copper and 9% manganese.

    The manganese was added to give the coin enough of a metallic quality so that it could be used in the vending machines of that era. The machines were set up to reject slugs and other counterfeits. And yes, it's hard to believe, but you could buy something worthwhile in those days for a nickel. A bottle of Coke was an example.

    The wartime nickels were issued from 1942 to 1945. In 1942, the Philadelphia Mint produced five cent pieces with both the copper-nickel alloy and in the wartime alloy. Philadelphia issued these two coins as Proofs, which is why there is a six piece 1942 Proof set. The Denver Mint produced all of its coins in copper-nickel, and the San Francisco Mint made all its coins with the wartime alloy.

    These coins have long been collected as a subset in the Jefferson Nickel series. Here is a Mint State set that I bought several months ago.

    War Nickel Set O.jpg War Nickel Set R.jpg
     
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