Definitive Test For Black Beauty Nickels

Thanks so Much !

I don't think so. From what we've seen this is a product caused in the 50's on. Most seem to be 58, 59, with one certified in 55. Now with 61 a possibility. No earlier than 55 to my knowledge.

Thanks Crazyb0, spruett001! The Buffalo I have is real dark. Note sure if it was caused by chemical or environment or if someone took a blow torch to it. Maybe I'll start a new thread. Thanks again!

Spruett001.....I finally figured out how to get this information over here on your thread. Anyway, on page two of the link is a great visual put together by Coop. http://goccf.com/t/299104

Definitely not a Black Beauty , more like a Black Ugly !

I would call it interesting, not ugly.

I'm not a big fan of these. They are so often created to make a normal coin look like an error. Unless I would find them in a BU OBW roll, I would doubt them. I prefer varieties that you can't fake. Then you know you have the real deal.

A couple thoughts FWIW on nickel production and demand and somewhat similar issues in industry, as it might relate to the discussion.

Increased demand for nickel during the Korean War led to some pretty strange government contracts and investments designed to ramp up domestic production. (See the long-running Hanna Mining case out of Oregon for some history.) The push for increased production didn't bear much fruit until 1957, when dramatic spikes in domestic production occurred. These increases continued in 1958 and 1959.

First question: could the experimental smelting processes used to increase production have any bearing on the coins?

Second, there is a fairly technical discussion online about blackened surfaces sometimes found in electroless nickel plating. The discussions center on Carbon and Phosphate presence as possible culprits. URL: https://www.finishing.com/459/77.shtml

Second question: has anyone done nondestructive testing of the coins to determine surface and overall metal content? Do the coins differ from other contemporaneous coins? Could this suggest a quality control issue during the planchet cleaning or annealing process? (That could possibly explain why only one mint seems to have been affected.)

Third question: has anyone checked magnetic fields on the coins?

Just tossing out some questions to see if they inspire thoughts from the experts. Now I'll go back to