Can you tell if a racketeer nickel was plated in 1883?
dbldie55
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How can anyone state that an 1883 No Cent nickel was gold plated in 1883 as a statement of fact, unless they know the specific history of a coin dating back 122 years?
Collector and Researcher of Liberty Head Nickels. ANA LM-6053
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If the coin does NOT appear to be AU+ or MS, then it was probably plated much later. Afterall, in 1883 you would not expect to have any XF or lower 1883 nickels.
Anyway ... I would think that the "plating" done in 1883 would be of a different quality or procedure than of that today, and I believe that the nickels would have been Uncirculated (or close to it) as would be normal for the time.
This is also supported by seeing one in hand at the 1990 ANA Show in Seattle that was believed by a few supposed experts (I not being one of them) to be an original speciman that dated to the period. Something was said about it being dipped in a gold wash solution, and not exactly "gold-plated", but not understanding the whole concept, I could not comment, even today. The coin in question had worn through it's very thin gold "plating" ever so slightly on several spots over the hair and wreath and V, which I was let to examine ... and I remember the coin as having an odd diluted luster that appeared to have been a coin of 58 to 63 quality that had indeed been dipped in some kind of gold solution that adhered to the coin, but then had passed through enough hands to be more of a 55 quality with the few missing spots of gold. Where it was still relatively fresh, I could see how it would have fooled someone, as the luster beneath the "plating" certainly gave it the "first glance" apperance of a gold coin.
If it is a real item of interest, your research may find a reasonable answer, and I would appreciate knowing if you find out anything more on the subject ...
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
I'm not sure if all period Racketeer nickels featured a reeded edge or not, but if somebody attempted to add reeding to the edge, there's another clue. Remember, to pass one as a five-dollar piece in the early 1880's, you would want the coin to have a reeded edge like a real half eagle.
I've never owned a reeded-edge Racketeer nickel but I did once have a twenty-cent piece that somebody had attempted to put fake reeds on, presumably to pass it as a quarter. It was a crude job, though. Still, if somebody went through the trouble of cutting crude reeding on the edge of a twenty-cent piece just to make five cents' profit, imagine the trouble they might have taken to get a $4.95 profit.
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
I firmly believe in numismatics as the world's greatest hobby, but recognize that this is a luxury and without collectors, we can all spend/melt our collections/inventories.
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