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Wrong Planchet Nickels, how do you tell????

The article about the 1946 Nickel on a silver planchet in the October 2002 issue of coins got me thinking......Is there a way, other than sending the coin to someone for authentication, to determine if a nickel is on the wrong planchet. I have a 1948-D Nickel in circulated condition that looks identical to my darkly toned war nickels. My first inclanation is since they stopped using the silver planchets in 1945, the odds that I would have a coin dated 1948 actually on a silver planchet, is probably somewhere around no chance and a snowballs chance is h_ll. Is there a way to tell without having the coin authenticated?????


Thanks

Comments

  • A silver nickel will sound slightly different (higher pitch) than a nickel nickel if you let it fall from it's edge and come to rest.
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  • CoulportCoulport Posts: 1,087 ✭✭✭
    1) Place coin in 50 ml. nitric acid.
    2) After reaction ceases, add equal amount of distilled water.
    3) Prepare 5% solution of NaCl in distilled water.
    4) Pour 10 ml of salt solution in the acid container.
    5) A white flocculent material denotes silver chloride.
    6) Coin contained silver per this test.

    Or, have someone at a lab do an X-ray diffraction for silver content.
    The most money I made are on coins I haven't sold.

    Got quoins?
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,875 ✭✭✭
    I don't know nothing about chemistry so I would just send it to my old buddy Fred Weinberg.
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • BikingnutBikingnut Posts: 3,365 ✭✭✭
    What about the weight? Wouldn't the weight of the silver planchet be a little different?
    US Navy CWO3 retired. 12/81-09/04

    Looking for PCGS AU58 Washington's, 32-63.
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,875 ✭✭✭
    War nickels weigh the same as nickel nickels.
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • Take it to your local high school chemistry class and get the teacher or one of the student to run a specific gravity test on it It won't hurt the coin and it will be a clear indication. A silver nickel has a SG of 9.25 and a regular nickel is 8.92 They are close together but if they run the test a couple of times it should be clear which it is. If you were close by I'd do it for you. It isn't difficult.

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