1945 ?counterfiet Henning? nickel

[Mkriegs]

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?

 

[jeff of pa]

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.



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

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

 

[rodarian]

Hmm. you learn something new everyday. This is very interesting find and thanks for the lesson.

 

[testing123]

that's interesting. Can you get better pics?

 

[jeff of pa]

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

 

[RobRieman]

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]

Very interesting find ! I'll be checking back on this one for sure - hope you're able to solve it .

 

[doninbrewster]

I know a lot about coins, but this bit of trivia is something that has escaped me. Cool find!

 

[jeff of pa]

Stalking the Cooper River for thousands of fake nickels

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...king-cooper-river-thousands-fake-nickels.html

 

[Mkriegs]

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.

 

[jeff of pa]

Any chance you can find a way weigh it ?

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

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very interesting and informative thread!

Thank you to all.

 

[Mkriegs]

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]

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. considering condition it didn't gain .481 grams.

 

[RobRieman]

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]

Learnt something new today about this nickel, congrats on the find.

 

[Scabby Jack]

Please keep us posted! Never knew about the counterfeit nickels.

 

[testing123]

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]

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.

 

[Mkriegs]

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.