"On the Subject of Your Mintmarkless War Nickel"

Dentuck

May 4, 2009


Dear Mrs. _______:

Thank you for your letter of April 10, inquiring about a 1943 Jefferson nickel that has no mintmark.

As noted in the Guide Book of United States Coins (the “Red Book”), authentic five-cent pieces dated
1943 feature a large “P,” “D,” or “S” mintmark above the dome of Monticello.

These are some potential explanations for why your coin has no clearly visible mintmark:

It may have been struck from a worn die, or one that had grease or another obstruction that weakened the
impression of the mintmark.

The mintmark might have worn off in circulation so as not to be clearly visible. (You mentioned that the grade
is G-VG.)

It may be a counterfeit coin—a so-called Henning nickel. Francis Leroy Henning was a counterfeiter from
New Jersey who, in the 1950s, set about making fake coins (thinking they’d be less likely to draw attention
than fake paper money with its higher face values). Unfortunately for Henning, he made fake “war nickels”
(of various dates) without mintmarks—a dead giveaway, since every genuine piece has the above-mentioned
large mintmark.

How many Henning nickels made their way into circulation? Some historians estimate as many as 100,000—
and he may have dumped another 200,000 pieces in local rivers.

There is a book by Dwight H. Stuckey called The Counterfeit 1944 Jefferson Nickel, published by Stuckey in
1982, which you might be able to find at your local library, or through the American Numismatic Association library.


Best wishes,




Dennis Tucker
Publisher, Whitman Publishing, LLC

Connecticoin

Were there Henning nickels dated 1943?