1945 ?counterfiet Henning? nickel

Mkriegs

Jr. Member
Sep 30, 2013
79
129
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I found this nickel along the banks of the river and thought nothing of it until later. However, I realized that 1945 was a year that should have been silver. I did a little research and discovered that a man named Henning counterfeited nearly 100,000 nickels in the 1940s and 50s. However, 1945 was only mentioned as a year that MAY exist. Has anyone ever seen this date before? IMG_0981.JPG IMG_0982.JPG
 

Upvote 7

jeff of pa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 19, 2003
85,782
59,582
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Counterfeit’s Weight: 5.4 grams


my quick refresher on Henning,
The 1944 nickels were quickly spotted since Henning neglected to add the large mintmark of the Philidelphia mint (P). He also made counterfeit nickels dated 1939, 1946, 1947 and 1953.

You can spot some of the other dates by a hole in the R of Pluribus though not all of the dies had this hole. Other tells are worn, rough surfaces with an occasional tiny raised dot or pimple. US Mint nickels won't have these. Some don't have full rims and if you're still not sure, weigh your nickel. Nickels weigh about 5 grams with slight variation. Henning nickels are slightly heavier at 5.5 grams.

Henning_Hole.JPG

because it was the last year for silver war nickels it could be a mint error
if Mint error it should be 5 Grams


But I still wouldn't rule out Henning nickel.
.

Excellent Recovery :thumbsup:

http://www.numismaticenquirer.com/TNE/Henning Counterfeit Nickel.html
 

Last edited:

rodarian

Hero Member
Jul 20, 2014
820
483
upstate New York
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
AT Pro, ACE250, Garrett pro pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hmm. you learn something new everyday. This is very interesting find and thanks for the lesson.
 

jeff of pa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 19, 2003
85,782
59,582
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
that's interesting. Can you get better pics?

yes you really need to take some pics with it outside the holder.
part of me needs confirmation it isn't just river oxidation that looks like rust
 

Last edited:

RobRieman

Silver Member
Nov 12, 2012
3,282
1,915
Cincinnati Ohio
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
White's V3i / Minelab E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
If it's a Henning you may have a real winner there. I have never heard of a 1945 Henning that has been verified.
 

Argentium

Gold Member
Feb 2, 2008
9,058
5,574
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Detector(s) used
Whites, MXT.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Very interesting find ! I'll be checking back on this one for sure - hope you're able to solve it .
 

doninbrewster

Bronze Member
Jun 15, 2013
1,539
2,778
New York
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I know a lot about coins, but this bit of trivia is something that has escaped me. Cool find!
 

OP
OP
Mkriegs

Mkriegs

Jr. Member
Sep 30, 2013
79
129
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hey guys here are some better pictures of the nickle. Unfortunately the reverse side is in rough shape so a possible mint error by mr. henning is not visible. FullSizeRender (1).jpg FullSizeRender.jpg
 

jeff of pa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 19, 2003
85,782
59,582
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Any chance you can find a way weigh it ?

Your Local P.O. may be nice . if you don't have a scale ?

FullSizeRender (1)b.jpg

FullSizeRender.jpg
 

Last edited:
Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,424
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Very interesting and informative thread!

Thank you to all.
 

OP
OP
Mkriegs

Mkriegs

Jr. Member
Sep 30, 2013
79
129
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
well thankfully im in college and got the opportunity to weigh it on a scale in our chem lab. it weighs 5.481 grams. (organic chemistry scales are great but the class is horrible!) definitely in the range of henning nickle weight.
 

jeff of pa

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 19, 2003
85,782
59,582
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
well thankfully im in college and got the opportunity to weigh it on a scale in our chem lab. it weighs 5.481 grams. (organic chemistry scales are great but the class is horrible!) definitely in the range of henning nickle weight.

Yep I'd say that Proves it. :thumbsup: considering condition it didn't gain .481 grams.
 

RobRieman

Silver Member
Nov 12, 2012
3,282
1,915
Cincinnati Ohio
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
White's V3i / Minelab E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
If in fact it's a 1945 Henning you need to look into it further! In all my searching a 1945 has never been verified. You may have found a very expensive coin as he did not produce fakes dated 1945. Good luck!
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,434
138,764
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Learnt something new today about this nickel, congrats on the find.
 

testing123

Bronze Member
Mar 29, 2009
2,359
1,986
United States
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030, TDI SL
You should post this coin on the PCGS chat forums. If you'd like, I can post it for you to get the ball rolling. Send me a private message if you'd like it. I can provide a link to the thread when it's created.
 

testing123

Bronze Member
Mar 29, 2009
2,359
1,986
United States
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030, TDI SL
Had a few suggestions to try a soak in 100% acetone to try getting some of the gunk off. There's a chance the mint mark is hiding under some of the corrosion. And you did have an offer from someone with a spectrometer to give it a reading. Seems like most members there just want to make sure it's not just weird corrosion on a regular WTN before going to the next step.
 

OP
OP
Mkriegs

Mkriegs

Jr. Member
Sep 30, 2013
79
129
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just an update. I did some more cleaning on the nickel and discovered a mint mark:( oh well... i was really surprised bc iv never seen a silver coin is such poor condition.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top