Question about metal type?? Jefferson 1958

[copperman]

Question about metal type?? I just got a bunch of OBW rolls and have gone through some of them as I was going through this roll I came across this Nickel, the metal seems to be almost black looks really nice it isn't toned at all, and there is no grit or grime on the coin. It is completely Unc. And I was wondering if anyone could give me any info on this coin. I know it’s not a major key date or anything but just another questionable coin error maybe?? Value?? Thanks

 

 

 

 

coin is alot darker inhand

 

 

 

[Hoot]

Dark Jefferson nickels from 1958 and 1959 are quite common. This is a metallic composition issue and they are affectionately known as "darkies." These can take on toning in addition to their natural darkness and can be quite pretty. The toning is often very irregular, but in shades of pink, green, and black. The grading services do not understand these coins and often downgrade them or bodybag them. I can't think of what the impurities may be that led to their existence, but somewhere the Mint got an impure batch of copper-nickel strip. It'd be interesting to have these analyzed for their metallic composition.

 

Hoot

[cpm9ball]

Mark, having spent most of my young life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I've seen a lot of these. We used to find them along the beach during the winter. Summer tourists would inadvertently drop change and lose it in the soft sand. During the winter when the winds were much stronger, the sand would shift and the weight of the coin would hold down sand beneath it in a little mound. Nickels always turned black. I guess it may have been due to the salty air and/or salt-encrusted sand.

 

Chris

[TomB]

Hoot's explanation is what I am familiar with and these coins are also known as black beauties. A coin with mint luster will likely be a black beauty while one that is found in the sand will have the luster removed. I do not know of a universally accepted theory on these coins, but have read of SEM/X-ray analysis showing enrichment in copper within the alloy.

[cpm9ball]

Tom, I'm sure that you and Mark are both right. Forgive me, I just had a brief lapse and it made me think back to my childhood. My response was meant to be more tongue-in-cheek that scientifically accurate.

 

Chris

[TomB]

Howdy Chris, I hope it didn't seem like I was coming down on you, because I wasn't. My impression was that you were thinking of the black nickels that end up that way through corrosion after being buried in the sand, and I wanted to clear up that there was another type of black nickel that was mint state.

[Hoot]

Have you ever tried to get the black corrosion off of a nickel that's spent the year in the sand? It won't come off! Brillo works, but all of my other remedies don't get at the raw metal.

 

As for the dark Jeffs (I like "black beauty"), I believe that Spy88 once posted a photo of a superb one. I'll see if I can find that thread...

 

Hoot

[Hoot]

Well, I found the thread (Dec. 25, 2003), but the pics are gonzo.

 

Alas, I have a "black beauty" that was recently graded MS65fs by PCGS. Although the grade is fair, it's still less than what I've seen on many Jeffs that were not so dark. This coin would be brown if I dipped it, not nickel-white.

 

 

Hoot