War nickel 12-31 reading??

[coin whisperer]

Heys guys I found a war nickel couple weeks ago and it rang up a solid 12-31. I get home air test it and it still gives a solid 12-31, so I tested another war nickel I have and it rings up like it should 12-13. It is a 1945 P, has anyone ever had a war nickel ring up like mine?

 

[Mason Jarr]

I have only dug two and both were 12-15 in the ground and air test the same. I have eight others that I've gathered over the years and I just air tested them all. Most were in the 12-13 to 12-16 range, but one was 12-11 and one was 12-20. Both of the those, outside the "norm", have a good bit of gunk and patina on them. Is yours dirty looking?

 

[coin whisperer]

I cleaned it up with baking soda so it's shiny clean. Weirdest thing I have seen so far

 

[Mason Jarr]

Maybe it has a higher silver content?

 

[coin whisperer]

That's what I"m hoping for!

 

[Rick(ND)]

A few years back one was found by a guy with a Minelab Sovereign and read like a zinc penny would. I found that hard to believe, so he sent me the nickle and sure enough it read that high on all of my detectors I had around. I did some checking on some of the other forums and found out that in some ground with the minerals it will leach out the Magnetise in the war nickle and it will read a higher conductivity. After he sent me this one he found another in the same area and it too read high like the first one did. I also have a good Friend up here in ND find one too and it too was in a area with some different mineralization.

Rick

 

[Bell-Two]

Not an uncommon experience at least that is with an E-Trac my friend Doug got one that came in 12-36 both in ground and out and another one that came in 12-28, slight difference in the alloy I guess.

 

[pghmole]

I have dug them at 1-38,12 41,12-28,12-14 they can come in anywhere, the ones that read high were pitted and in bad bad shape

 

[jimzilla]

They usually come in at 12-16 to 12-19 but I can definitely see them coming anywhere on the scale. Too many people get caught up with the numbers but you cant because so many conditions will affect the numbers...ie. soil content; moisture content in the soil; iron in the ground; position of the nickel in the ground; position of the iron the ground...you get my point. So bottom line is just dig and try not to rely "solely" on the numbers

 

[Seatedhalf]

I have found them on E-trac at 12-31 in and out of the ground. Same as you. G4E on e-trac forum has also had them in that range I delieve. It looks like an alloy issue.

 

[jas415]

I have 13 for the year and got one last Friday. It was one of those that are really black, with thick crud on it and it rang up 12-32/3, solid target and tone. I thought it was a really crudded and chopped up memorial. Very difficult to clean off so I used the 'Byron Whitaker Beat Down' method on it and it worked well. Put it between two 1x4 boards and hit it with a hammer a few times. Most of the black crud popped off and the rest came off in electrolysis. A 42 S. A bit more than the normal one. Back to the numbers and targets, I have dug them that did not have a definite target, splattered and all around 12-13, but with a great tone and numbers were in the range. I use a high tone in combined for nickels. Got 429 this year with 13 war and 14 bufs.

 

[doc1964]

Got one a few years ago that hits at 12-42 solid.