Maybe all War Nickles don't have the same silver content.

[Ron from Michigan]

Last week I was out for a short search and found a war nickel.The ID meter read at 176 with a nice steady clear tone.There were a lot of screw caps and zincs in this area of the park so I skipped over these readings to avoid these targets.One tone was more steady and clean so the target was dug and I was surprised to see a war nickel.I have never found a war nickel with a high 176 reading, which most that I have found were lower readings around 149-150.Even after another check with an air test the reading remained at 176.My hypothesis is that some of these war nickles have a higher silver content.HH Ron

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Yeah thought it was a cap or zinc,LOL little scrape.

 

[Suncoast Kid]

Being a U.S. coin, you would think that the composition would be consistent. From 1942-1945, the wartime five-cent piece was composed of copper (56%), silver (35%), and manganese (9%). The one you found must be different.

 

[dewcon4414]

Check the weight.... it could be wear also.

Dew

 

[Rick(ND)]

That in some ground it will leach the manganese out of the nickle and read around 176 like a older wheat pennies do or the new zinc pennies or even IH.
A few years back someone on this forum had found one of these and I questioned it too so he sent it to me to look at and on every detector I had it showed the higher number. I ask this question on another site and had a couple tell me they seen it too and the reason was the manganese was leached out from some soils. I seen one up in this area read like this too, but that is the only one I know of around here.
On the Sovereigns with the 180 meter my War Nickles read 144-151, but always has that nickle tone to them and when I get a 148 or so and sounds like a nickle I can tell it will be a war nickle even though that is where some of the pull tabs read.

Rick

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Dew,weight could be a factor with this higher reading,some of these older coins have a lot of wear.Thanks Ron

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Rick,this is the first one I found with such a high reading.Probably a lot of these higher reading War Nickles have been passed over as being zincs or thrash.Your point makes sense.After making the post,I thought if it was the content difference it could also be cooper since it has a higher reading.Your manganese theory seems the most likely cause.Thanks Ron

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Suncoast,thanks for the content information.HH Ron

 

[deepdiger60]

Ron you might have a Henning counterfeit War Nickle check this post out GL Jim

http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=140887

 

[Rick(ND)]

The person that sent me the one to look at got another one like that with a different date and mint mark a day or 2 after he sent me the one he found first, so the ground theory does make some sense to me. It does make it odd though to get nickle that high on the tones and ID don't it?

Rick

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Jim,wow,first time I've heard of the Henning Counterfeit War Nickle.Another possibility and lesson learned.Thanks Ron

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Rick,I agree it is odd.Thanks Ron

 

[Old California]

Hi Ron,

Rick (ND) is right, The Manganese in the nickel breaks down when buried in the ground, Depending on soil conditions, Time and the harsh elements of weather and such war nickels will read different.

The war nickel is the only coin to have used Manganese as an alloy, Back in the early Sovereign/Explorer days found many war nickels and did some research and found that the only coin to have manganese was the war nickel.

HH, Paul

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Paul,good information.Thanks Ron

 

[DukeOBass]

I have actually encounter this on my CTX. I have "waved the earlier years over my coil and got a 12/13 and either a 44 or 45 read 12/18. Some 1942 Nickel do not contain any silver.