Strange 1964 Nickel

Icewing

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Ok this one is not mine, but was sent to me to help figure it out.
So I'm asking for help since I don't have the an answer for him.

It's a Jefferson Nickel that is ultra thin, weighs 1.9 grams and if you look it's thinner on one side than the other.

Is it play money, a counterfeit, or an error?

6485.jpeg 6487.jpeg
6523.jpeg 6522.jpeg
 

jewelerguy

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back in the 70's my brother brought home a penny that he had used in a science experiment in high school where they left it in a beaker of some sort of acid for a while. it looked nearly identical to the condition of your nickel
 

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Jason in Enid

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How is the width compared to a regular nickle? Just looking at it, it seems like might be a mint error of an improper planchet
 

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BosnMate

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Jefferson's head is larger than the nickle on the right. I'm thinking counterfeit or play money.
 

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Icewing

Icewing

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back in the 70's my brother brought home a penny that he had used in a science experiment in high school where they left it in a beaker of some sort of acid for a while. it looked nearly identical to the condition of your nickel

What you are talking about is if you scratch the edge if a post 1982 cent, then drop it in hydrochloric acid, the acid will eat away all if the zinc and leave only the thin copper shell. Science is fun.
 

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trdking

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Someone has trimmed off the collar of this coin. You have not showed us the reverse. If it is a light planchet the strike would be weak. This is an altered coin not an error.
 

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jewelerguy

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back in the 70's my brother brought home a penny that he had used in a science experiment in high school where they left it in a beaker of some sort of acid for a while. it looked nearly identical to the condition of your nickel

What you are talking about is if you scratch the edge if a post 1982 cent, then drop it in hydrochloric acid, the acid will eat away all if the zinc and leave only the thin copper shell. Science is fun.

My brother graduated in '76, so of course the penny was pre-1982 and was all copper. The result was practically identical to the condition of the nickel pictured. It left the penny extremely thin and without a rim, it's features were readable for the most part but yet seemed slightly bigger as if 'melted'
 

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Icewing

Icewing

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I'm wondering if it was possibly used as a cathode in an electrolysis tub.
 

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Bramblefind

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I think Jewelerguy may have it. Here is a British One Penny coin that had an acid treatment -
 

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RW

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Looks like it was used in a nickel slot machine back in the day when they still used coins.
 

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Msbeepbeep

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I have found coins that had a smiliar look, that had been caught in between the barrel and sidewall of my clothes washer.
They were thinner and had no edge on them.

It could be possible the nickle has been caught in a washing machine and removed when it caused problems with the drain pump.

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