I recently got a 1945 nickel in some change...How can I tell if it's a silver nickel? From what I've read some of the 1945's were silver and some were not.
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AGCoinHunter said:Remember there is a counterfit nickel out there called a Henning nickel which was dated in the war nickel years and doesnt have a MM over the dome. I believe the year was 1944 if I recall.
How much was a nickel worth back then? How can you spot a fake one?P.B. and Dylan said:AGCoinHunter said:Remember there is a counterfit nickel out there called a Henning nickel which was dated in the war nickel years and doesnt have a MM over the dome. I believe the year was 1944 if I recall.
Yep, here's some info.
An unofficial variety of the wartime coin dated 1944 was made in 1954 when counterfeit nickels were produced by Francis LeRoy Henning of Erial, New Jersey. He had previously been arrested for counterfeiting $5 bills. The 1944 nickels were quickly spotted since Henning neglected to add the large mintmark. He also made counterfeit nickels dated 1939, 1946, 1947, and possibly 1953 as well as one other unidentified date. It is estimated that more than 100,000 of Henning's nickels reached circulation. These can still be found in pocket change, and there is a thriving collectors' market for them, although owning a counterfeit is technically illegal. Henning dumped another 200,000 nickels in Copper Creek, New Jersey, of which only 14,000 were recovered. Another 200,000 are thought to have been dumped in the Schuylkill River. When caught, Henning was sentenced to 3 years in jail, and was required to pay a $5,000 fine.
Their worth more then the real ones. About $20.
festiva_ford said:How much was a nickel worth back then? How can you spot a fake one?
As far as I know it is illegal to sell a counterfeit coin. My coin store owner and I were talking about counterfeit coins (I collect them) and he pulled out a small box full he had bought over the years. He handed me a 1909 S VDB lincoln cent in unc condition and gave it to me. He wouldn't accept anything for it. I asked him what he would get if he sold it.P.B. and Dylan said:These can still be found in pocket change, and there is a thriving collectors' market for them, although owning a counterfeit is technically illegal.