Why is my 1959 Nickel brown?

MrBadExample

I have been busy filling in the empty slots in my Whitman Jefferson Nickels No. 1, 1938-1961. I purchased some missing nickels and one in particular looks odd.
It is the 1959. See if you can pick out the one about which I am talking. Any ideas why this coin would be this color? why one of these things is not like the rest.
in the picture are nickels 1958, 1957, 1959, 1965 and 1968

291fifth

It probably spent many years buried in the ground.

FredWeinberg

It's hard to tell from your photos,
but if the '59 nickel isn't just discolored,
there's a chance that it's on a mis-annealed
planchet - the planchet, before it was struck,
was mis-annealed in the annealing process.

These are very common - I can buy them
easily for $3 each raw in roll quantities.

oih82w8

For some odd reason the "gold watch scene" with Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction came to mind...something to do with "brown".

Windycity

Don't know the answer but I have rolls of uncirculated 1959 nickels that all have a darker color... nice mint luster but dark,

MrBadExample

Thanks for the feedback. FredWeinberg, just to be clear, a planchet is the actual coin before it is struck with a die (or dies). Not the die itself. I am familiar with annealing of automotive parts, we usually do this to make them more workable. If a planchet is miss-annealed does that make it more difficult to strike? Metal less ductile and harder? If a planchet was miss-annealed I would expect to see less definition in the features that you are trying to impart on the surface. Or do I have this whole process mixed up.

MrBadExample

Hey Windycity, do you just see that in 1959 nickels or other mint years as well?

FredWeinberg

A 'blank' is the disc that was just punched out of the planchet strip;
A 'planchet' is that disc that went thru the upsetting mill process to
give it a raised rim; making it easier to strike. (i.e.: - Type 1 Blank &
Type 2 Planchet).

Annealing softens the metal making it easier to strike - more metal
flow into the recesses of the die, and less wear & tear on the die itself.

Mis-Annealed means in most cases that the planchet was 'overheated'
in the annealing process, and it can pick up trace elements of the metal
from the planchet. RogerB can explain this in much better detail.

Because of the striking pressure of about 60-75 Tons, a coin that has
been mis-annealed isn't weakly struck, or produced with less detail.

Hope this helps a bit.

Windycity

Frequently on on the 1959 coins... rarely on others.

MrBadExample

Thank you for the explanation FredWeinberg, it does make sense

leothelyon

Leo

MrBadExample

Hey those are some nice looking nickels. But I suppose you hear that from everyone.

leothelyon

They're there to be appreciated but mainly to show that other dates exist. I think I have a 1959 but don't believe to have ever photographed it. Here's a dark 1998-P shown with a brilliant coin. For the life of me, I don't know why the reverse wasn't included.

Leo

Treashunt

Why is my 1959 Nickel brown?

so many thoughts, so little time

ricko

In addition to Fred's explanation (likely the right one), I also have seen nickels found metal detecting to have that dark color.... Some soil types will do that.....Cheers, RickO

MrBadExample

Thanks for the feedback.

Overdate

I remember that in the early to mid 1960's, the 1959 "black beauty" nickels were well known and occasionally promoted.

"At the Philadelphia Mint in 1959, a full batch of nickel planchets were left in the furnace too long during the annealing process. As a result the unique black appearance was created."
https://cointalk.com/threads/1959-jefferson-nickel-improperly-annealed-black-beauty.250868/

MrBadExample

Very interesting. Thank you Overdate!