Assaying Silver / War Nickel Weight Variation

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mnemtsas2
mnemtsas2 Posts: 745 ✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
This is a copy of a post I've put up over in the World Coin forum, if anyone here can help especially on the subject of war nickel planchet mass variation I would be most grateful.

I've just bought an Australian 1944S (San Francisco) struck shilling on an underweight planchet, pic below. Mass is 4.94g, which is remarkably close to the war nickel mass of 5g. Does anyone know the mass variation allowable for war nickels? Also, anyone know of a way to non destructively assay the fineness of the silver in a coin? Australian silver of the period was sterling while war nickels were 35%. Any help would be appreciated.

image
Successful trades with Syracusian, DeiGratia, LordM, WWW, theboz11, CCC2010, Hyperion, ajaan, wybrit, Dennis88 and many others.

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  • CaptHenway
    CaptHenway Posts: 34,164 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    4.94 grams would be within the weight tolerance of a wartime nickel. However, there are other possibilities.

    In 1944 San Francisco also did a Philippine 5 Centavos made of 65% Copper, 23% Zinc and 12% Nickel that weighed 4.9 grams and was 19 mm when struck.

    Also, there was an El Salvador 5 Centavos made of 70% copper, 18% silver and 12% Nickel that weighed 5.0 grams and was 23.0 mm when struck.

    The shilling should be 23.8 mm. Looking at your piece and guaging by eye how much smaller the piece is than a normal piece, allowing for expansion during strike, I would say that the U.S. wartime nickel planchet is the most likely planchet. Can you do a specific gravity on it and post the results?

    TD
    Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
  • mnemtsas2
    mnemtsas2 Posts: 745 ✭✭✭
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    Thanks for the reply. I know what an SG test is but have no idea how I might do one at home. I suspect I can't, any tips?
    Successful trades with Syracusian, DeiGratia, LordM, WWW, theboz11, CCC2010, Hyperion, ajaan, wybrit, Dennis88 and many others.
  • CaptHenway
    CaptHenway Posts: 34,164 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    A friendly B&M with the right kind of scale might do one if you ask them at a slow time.
    Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.

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