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2011 nickel found in a roll.. Thoughts?
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14 posts in this topic

Possibly Improper Annealing error.   Could also be something on the surface, paint or coloring that is wearing off, lets see what others think too.   Welcome to the forum.

Edited by Coinbuf
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    Welcome to the NGC chat board. 

   "Nickels" are composed of 75% copper, 25% nickel. The copper is highly reactive and will darken upon exposure to a variety of chemicals or environmental conditions. It is also possible that a colored substance was applied to the surface as suggested by @Coinbuf.

   It is also conceivable that the copper-nickel alloy was improperly mixed and contains too much copper.  However, we would have expected to have seen more reddish 2011-D nickels from the same improperly mixed batch of metal.  It would require metallurgical analysis to determine this, and it's unlikely that collectors would be willing to pay much of a premium for it. (I note that some of the reddish color has worn off the high points of the coin, which also makes this possibility unlikely.)

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On 2/4/2023 at 9:44 PM, bsshog40 said:

Looks like environmental damage/toning to me. If I had it, it would be taking an acetone bath to be sure. 

I agree it looks like it has been laying on a red dirt road and it took on the color.

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On 2/5/2023 at 3:49 PM, OneTime86 said:

For what the dealer offered me for it im sure it isn't any " dirt" or " chemicals" caused this !

You should take the dealer up on his offer or find a gumball machine that still accepts nickels and chew some gum.

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On 2/5/2023 at 2:49 PM, OneTime86 said:

For what the dealer offered me for it im sure it isn't any " dirt" or " chemicals" caused this !

You asked for opinions. You're getting them. All we can go by are the pictures you provided. It may look very different inhand. We don't know that. If a dealer has already told you different,  then submit it and see what NGC says it is. 

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       What if anything did the dealer tell you had caused the reddish color or otherwise made the coin worth a premium? How much did he offer you?  For that matter, who is he, as I might have some discolored pieces he could be interested in!

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On 2/5/2023 at 2:49 PM, OneTime86 said:

For what the dealer offered me for it im sure it isn't any " dirt" or " chemicals" caused this !

“Dealer” is an utterly unimportant and unimpressive term. He may still be a m-o-r-o-n. It happens a lot among dealers. 

Edited by VKurtB
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Spots on the obverse and rim look like whatever is on the surface is either partially worn off or environmental hasn't finished completely covering the coin. Have you tried to rinse it under just plain water to see what happens to it? From your photos, I see something in the environment the coin was in that caused a change to the surface. I think a true alloy change in the planchet would produce a uniform color across the entire surface.

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My first thought was some sort of toning, corrosion, etc..

From the few examples I've seen improperly annealed planchets usually fall into two groups when it comes to surface color, either the surfaces will have a copper or a dark brown color (from oxidation?), the coloring can encompass the entire coin or appear splotchy. The color doesn't look right to me and appears streaky, also due to the age of the coin and it appearing circulated I would be surprised if it retained the pure copper color that it might appear to have based on the images. The colors appear more red and pink than copper in the images but the images ain't great either. 

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