Counterfeit Nickels......Yes Nickels!!!

P.B. and Dylan

Sr. Member
Dec 9, 2008
352
9
Berks Co. PA
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV & GC1023
Found this info on Wikipedia (nickel) , and other articles on the internet. Google Francis LeRoy Henning.

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. [1] He also made counterfeit nickels dated 1939, 1946, 1947, and possibly 1953 as well as one other unidentified date [2]. 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.

Looks like these are worth between $20 to $40 each, although I'm sure that if you found all 386,000 it would drive the value down quite a bit.

Paul
 

jeff of pa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 19, 2003
85,917
59,709
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Welcome P.B. and Dylan

Good Lead I never heard of.

Thanks !
 

baspinall

Bronze Member
Jul 23, 2006
2,463
844
Pennsylvania
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Minelab Equinox 800
GPX 4500
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Never heard of these as well. Pretty cool. Now I got to look at all the Nickles tooooooooooooooooooo :tard:

Brian
 

deepskyal

Bronze Member
Aug 17, 2007
1,926
61
Natrona Heights, Pa.
Detector(s) used
White's Coinmaster 6000 Di Series 3, Minelab Eq 600
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
baspinall said:
Never heard of these as well. Pretty cool. Now I got to look at all the Nickles tooooooooooooooooooo :tard:

Brian

Yea, maybe an incentive to turn down the disc and dig more pulltabs... :thumbsup:

Al
 

OP
OP
P.B. and Dylan

P.B. and Dylan

Sr. Member
Dec 9, 2008
352
9
Berks Co. PA
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV & GC1023
If I lived in the area I would be out there today. Good luck to whoever decides
to look for this.
Paul
 

Old Rerntern

Jr. Member
May 19, 2008
68
31
Hegins, PA
Got one of these nickels in some change last week. :o I almost spent it but when I looked at it it was a funny color, almost black with the edge worn to a copper color. After close inspection, I seen it was a war nickel. I always pull them out and save them. When I looked at the date; 1944, I immediatly remembered the post in the forum safely stored it away. I will post a picture later. If it wasen't for the initial post, I wouldn't have had a second thought of it being counterfeit. ;D
 

davew0710

Sr. Member
Oct 3, 2008
392
0
Western Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
E Trac
When the V nickel first came out in 1883, the word cent was not on the coin. To confuse the situation, the coin was the same size as the $5.00 gold piece. Some enterprising people cut groves in the side of the nickel, gold plated them and passed them off as $5.00 pieces.
I can't respect a guy that counterfeits a coin that will only net him a few cents. But I wouldn't mind find one of those counterfeits.
 

zinc

Newbie
Mar 21, 2009
1
0
Northeast PA
A nickel went a lot farther in the 1950's. You could buy a bottle of Coke for 5 cents up until 1959. Today you would have to counterfeit quarters to get any kind of buying power.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Discussions

Top