Racketeer Nickel - Big Pixs!

StopMotion

Genuine "Racketeer" Nickels have the reeded edge & gold plating to give the effect of a $5 gold piece of that era.
SM

SpaceMonkey

real as in original? and if so how can you tell?

/ed

Barndog

<< <i>real as in original? and if so how can you tell?

/ed >>



pulled from the cold, dead fingers of a victim of the St. Valentines Day Massacre?

StopMotion

<< <i>real as in original? and if so how can you tell?

/ed >>



Added info. to 1st post. I will have info. on the Racketeer nickel on my website very soon.
SM

Cameonut

I didn't know they had reeded edges - I just thought they were plated. Can you post a pic of the edge too?

Learn something new every day on these forums.

StopMotion

<< <i>I didn't know they had reeded edges - I just thought they were plated. Can you post a pic of the edge too?

Learn something new every day on these forums. >>



Just posted, see 1st post!
SM

SpaceMonkey

very cool... thanks for the updated pix! gotta get me one of those! just never knew how to be sure it was authentic.

/ed

StopMotion

<< <i>very cool... thanks for the updated pix! gotta get me one of those! just never knew how to be sure it was authentic.

/ed >>



No problem! I actually have a gold plated 1907 V nickel, which does not have the reeded edge. The counterfeiter didn't go to the extent on this coin as did the counterfeiter of the 1883 nickel.
SM

Shamika

Great piece of numimatic history, but how do you know it's original? I would think an original racketeer nickel would appear AU if not MS since these were produced around the time Liberty Nickels were first minted.

tightbudget

Wouldn't the plating disappear?

StopMotion

<< <i>Great piece of numimatic history, but how do you know it's original? I would think an original racketeer nickel would appear AU if not MS since these were produced around the time Liberty Nickels were first minted. >>



The reeded edge is the give away. They did circulate for while before people caught on, so I'm sure there are some MS examples and worn examples as the one I posted out there.
SM

StopMotion

<< <i>Wouldn't the plating disappear? >>


I'm sure the more it was handled/circulated it would. If you look hard you can see it starting to wear off around liberty's ear.
SM

Boothill40

Picked this up on the BST board, not a reeded edge but still cool for the price.

Cameonut

Cool - thanks for posting the pics.

SeattleSlammer

that is cool!

StopMotion

<< <i>Picked this up on the BST board, not a reeded edge but still cool for the price.

>>




Very Cool Boothill40!!
SM

RichieURich

It is easy to find a Racketeer Nickel, but very difficult to find one with a reeded edge. I had one on my want list for 5 years before I finally found one. Nice one, StopMotion! Congratulations!

StopMotion

<< <i>It is easy to find a Racketeer Nickel, but very difficult to find one with a reeded edge. I had one on my want list for 5 years before I finally found one. Nice one, StopMotion! Congratulations! >>



Thanks Rich! I didn't know the ones with Reeded edge where difficult to find. When I purchased it I was under the impression that all the 1883's had the reeded edge.
Thanks for the info!
SM

Shamika

<< <i>I'm sure the more it was handled/circulated it would. If you look hard you can see it starting to wear off around liberty's ear.
SM >>

Harrison - I don't mean to poopoo this piece, but while the gold would quickly wear off as you're seeing, the plating should still have been added to a coin with very little if any wear given the time of this scam.

The whole idea behind making this trick work back in 1883/84 was that people were not familiar with Liberty nickels and thus wouldn't know a Liberty nickel from a gold coin. However, within a few years, every vendor would instantly recognize this coin as a five cent piece. Thus one would not be able to pass it off as a $5 gold piece.

The amount of wear seen on this nickel tell us the plating occurred many years after this coin first entered circulation which strongly suggests the coin is not an original racketeer nickel.

dbldie55

<< <i>

<< <i>I'm sure the more it was handled/circulated it would. If you look hard you can see it starting to wear off around liberty's ear.
SM >>

Harrison - I don't mean to poopoo this piece, but while the gold would quickly wear off as you're seeing, the plating should still have been added to a coin with very little if any wear given the time of this scam.

The whole idea behind making this trick work back in 1883/84 was that people were not familiar with Liberty nickels and thus wouldn't know a Liberty nickel from a gold coin. However, within a few years, every vendor would instantly recognize this coin as a five cent piece. Thus one would not be able to pass it off as a $5 gold piece.

The amount of wear seen on this nickel tell us the plating occurred many years after this coin first entered circulation which strongly suggests the coin is not an original racketeer nickel. >>



That is how it appeared to me as well. Still a cool piece. The one I have is not reeded, although it would not be too hard to add.

StopMotion

<< <i>

<< <i>I'm sure the more it was handled/circulated it would. If you look hard you can see it starting to wear off around liberty's ear.
SM >>

Harrison - I don't mean to poopoo this piece, but while the gold would quickly wear off as you're seeing, the plating should still have been added to a coin with very little if any wear given the time of this scam.

The whole idea behind making this trick work back in 1883/84 was that people were not familiar with Liberty nickels and thus wouldn't know a Liberty nickel from a gold coin. However, within a few years, every vendor would instantly recognize this coin as a five cent piece. Thus one would not be able to pass it off as a $5 gold piece.

The amount of wear seen on this nickel tell us the plating occurred many years after this coin first entered circulation which strongly suggests the coin is not an original racketeer nickel. >>



Thanks for the info. That could very well be the case, but it does have the reeded edge which Mr. Tatum had done, before plating them.
So, it could be someone later down the road trying to pull off the same scam as Tatum?
SM

dbldie55

From what I have read, there is no known documentation regarding the "Josh Tatum" story.

RichieURich

<< <i>From what I have read, there is no known documentation regarding the "Josh Tatum" story. >>



No known documentation? Really? You're joshing me!

MWallace

I agree with Shamika. While it's impossible to tell if one is original, a fully plated piece would have to be nearly uncirculated. A well worn piece will show the gold plating only in the protected places. For example in the hair, denticles, or near lettering.

The Josh Tatum story is now believed to be a fabrication. The term "joshing" was in existence long before the 1880's.

StopMotion

<< <i>From what I have read, there is no known documentation regarding the "Josh Tatum" story. >>


I can wish, can't I?
SM

foundinrolls

The coin is not original.

Original coins that were plated were done so early in 1883 as the NO CENT nickels Came out.

The coins were in a relatively high grade before they were plated so original "Racketeer" nickels have two appearances.

Either fully gold plated over a high condition piece, or you find them where a lot of the gold has worn off from circulation.

The coin at the beginning of the thread is a later day version done on a worn coin. The reeded edge has no bearing on this coin as anyone truly familiar with "Racketeer" nickels knows that this one is not original. It should have gone for about $3.00 .