Liberty Nickel mystery

[GarryN]

Ash Harrison at Vamworld posted this photo of a Liberty Nickel. He has not identified the coin by date yet and has not posted full shots of the coin. John Roberts' (from ANACS) initial comment was this:

"The mint was infiltrated by agents of the Dutch East India Company? I guess that would be V over O C. What year is it and what does it weigh? I looked into this a little bit already and there's not a good candidate for a foreign coin struck by the US Mints in this time frame with a big O or 0 on it. It really does look to be struck over something that really didn't belong in with the planchets."

Other than a couple Canadian whiskey jokes, here is the coin.

[GarryN]

Here are photos of the obverse and reverse

[img][/img]

There seems to be a raised area of metal to the left of the ring.

[img][/img]

[coppercoins]

Strange days indeed. I wouldn't have a clue on this one.

[smed]

I don't have an opinion on the 'ring', but the wear pattern on both sides is interesting. It's much more worn on the left side of both obverse and reverse. Very strange to have LIBE virtually gone and still have that much detail in the hair.

Something doesn't look kosher in the land of the danish.

[Dick]

SMED, I agree!

While that was one of my preferred selections, I had others, with more "kick' to them.

During those times, about 65 years ago, I was NOT a collector, (of coins), so it would not have been noted.

[GarryN]

One of the other guys suggested that the ring was carved, which would explain why there is more metal on the left. Here is a closeup.

[img][/img]

[eagames]

We can be sure it was at least 98 years ago.

I'm guessing what ANACs said was more of a joke than thinking it was struck on a Dutch East India Company coin.
They made a joke because Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie coins did have the V over the OC. The company ended before 1800 and the coins didn't have the O exactly in the center.


I bet it's modified/carved post mint than anything to do with being struck over a coin with an O in the center.

[GarryN]

I agree Ed. Like a few guys said over at Vamworld, it was probably done by a Canadian with a sense of humor. Thanks much.

[coppercoins]

Would be nice to see that one under a stereo-optical microscope to get a 3-D sense of where the fields are. That would tell me whether there had been carving done on the coin.

[wavysteps2003]

The racketeer nickel. Common sense would dictate if this were a die anomaly, there would be more than one floating around. With a bit over 5.4 million minted in that year, odds would be that one out of every 14 to 15 would have that O in the middle of the reverse die. So, it could be a struck through a foreign object. I can imagine a washer that small landing on the die and damaging it, but then again, since this seems to be a unique piece, we can almost rule that out. But then again, who would want to carve an O into a coin except some demented engraver who had a lot of time on their hands?

Of course there is always the possibility of alien crop circles (LOL).

BJ Neff

[Dick]

Now if it had been me, I would have carved a "7", instead of the "O". I had my share of that, too when a couple years younger....more like several decades.