Mystery Of The War Nickel

[GB_Amateur]

On 2/20/2024 at 6:49 PM, BigSkyGuy said:

Under mildly oxidizing conditions, manganese metal oxidizes to a very soluble ion (Mn+2), unlike copper which forms a relatively insoluble oxide coating on the metal.

I see a minimum of three relevant environments for this discussion, and that is quite likely already an oversimplification:  1) saltwater, 2) acidic soil, 3) basic soil.  I've talked to some agricultural experts regarding the latter two and both can be found here in the greater Midwest, naturally, but basic dominates.  I emphasize 'naturally' because fertilizers are often used to changed the pH (i.e. the acidity vs. basicity) so what you get in the cultivated field could be different than surrounding non-cultivated land.  I don't know which side of neutral pH the rest of the country's soils represent.

A few years ago I reported on a mysterious copper coin I found which turned out to be simply the pure copper core of a USA clad quarter -- the 25%Ni, 75% Cu outer layers had been completely removed.  This coin was found in a decorative pond that was absolutely loaded with rotting leaves.  I assume the acidity was quite high (relatively speaking, not at a dangerous-to-human flesh level) in the pond, enough to eat away all of the two out layers.  Note that these outer layers are not simply a coating, but rather together make up 1/3 of the coin's weight (and thickness) compared to the 2/3 copper core.

What I'm getting at is that the chemistry and eventually the VDI anomalies for Warnicks may be due to different processes depending upon the particular environment the coin has been subject to.  (And there's still the wild card that in some apparently rare cases the composition tolerances were off at the mint.)

[JCR]

On 2/18/2024 at 5:17 PM, JCR said:

I got the time to re run my War Nickels in a more organized fashion. I only have 6, which is a very small sample compared to @GB_Amateur. I don’t have a MInelab, I used the Rutus Versa since that is what I am concentrating on currently. Park  Multi F Low conductors,  DD 23 coil.

1942S = 69

1943S = 54

1944S = 36

1944D = 35

1944P = 39

1945P = 38

 All with comparable wear.

A regular 1984 Jefferson = 33.

A new Zinc Cent = 58.

 From my small sample it seems the early war issue alloy may have been adjusted over time as war demands became more focused.  Frustrating for our purposes, but interesting.

I dug another War Nickel yesterday, 1943S. It comes in a bit lower at 51 than my other example but still shows my small sample trend of early war year production having higher TIDs.   Found in low wet ground, no major corrosion but encrusted with the minerals from the ground water like all items dug there.

[RSmith]

It may be that you have found some Henning nickels. Those counterfeit nickels could be producing a higher ID than a normal nickel.  

[JCR]

I have never heard of Hennings or counterfeit Nickels.  I will have to look that up.

Thanks,