1985 D copper nickel 1 1

[Trent Derwent]

Going through my coins and found this nickel that seems to be made from copper. Sorry for the bad photo quality but can anyone tell me if this is rare, or worth anything?

[J P M]

Welcome, your nickel is 75% copper and 25 % nickel. The picture is not the best, but it looks like it has spent some time in the ground.

[Trent Derwent]

Would it be worth anything though? If I sent it in to NGC to grade and clean?

[J P M]

On 7/15/2024 at 9:29 AM, Trent Derwent said:

Would it be worth anything though? If I sent it in to NGC to grade and clean?

No, it is not. 5 cents is all you will get for this one. The highest grade for this coin is like a MS67 and only a few of those are out there. and none at lower grades are worth the cost to send them in.

[Sandon]

    Welcome to the NGC chat board.

    Actually, "nickels" are composed of 75% copper and only 25% nickel.  This alloy corrodes and darkens to red or even black when exposed to certain environments, such as being buried in the ground, as this coin likely was. (I have dug up coins that looked like this.) The greenish substance is also a compound that forms as a corrosion product. This is exactly the opposite of a coin that would be regarded as "rare" or desirable by collectors. It is still worth its face value of five cents. 

   Nothing can remove the corrosion without further damaging the coin. A circulated 1985-D nickel (459,747,446 minted) would only be worth face value in any case.

   You may find the following article recently posted by a leading coin dealer of value: Jeff Garrett: Fake News and Misinformation in Numismatics | NGC (ngccoin.com).

[Henri Charriere]

On 7/15/2024 at 9:35 AM, J P M said:

No, it is not. 5 cents is all you will get for this one. The highest grade for this coin is like a MS67 and only a few of those are out there....

🐓: Speaking for Q.A.:

All of the factors cited militate strongly against your coin being what you wish it were.

1.  Forty (40) years of continual exposure to circulation and harsh environmental conditions and forces.

2.  Insufficient photo, notwithstanding, evidence of corrosion and a suggestion of verdigris: polite for Irreversible damage.

3.  Burial in the ground which would subject it to direct contact with water, heat, cold, chemicals, and the decomposing remains (and droppings) of every animal known to man.

4.  Hundreds of thousands of examples minted of which only a miniscule number survived in serviceable condition and a smaller number still that survived in Mint State, problem-free condition -- and of those fewer still that were lovingly set aside by collectors which continue to retain their inordinately scarce MS-67 grade.

5.  You succeeded in saving yourself a pretty penny in unnecessary submission costs.  Go out and treat yourself to a fine ice cream shake or malted.

[VKurtB]

On 7/15/2024 at 8:29 AM, Trent Derwent said:

Would it be worth anything though? If I sent it in to NGC to grade and clean?

No, no, no. Absolutely not. Your thought process is 180 degrees out of phase.