Racketeer Nickel

The best reason for not bothering to think about it is because there's no answer possible.

We'll never know, of course, because there are so many imitations that the originals are only a tiny percentage of what's extant. They're been being imitated continuously since the very first one appeared - the story of a single origin is apocryphal - and there isn't even a way to decide which of these is "original" or not.

Even if you did know exactly when the one you have was made, at what point is the dividing line between "original" and "imitation?" 1890? 1900? 1950? Well, we can deprecate the latter, I think.

And why do people think that they didn't use circulated examples for "originals?" Or that "imitations" didn't righteously circulate?

"Racketeer Nickels" are numismatics' best example of paying for vapor. The best that the most knowledgeable experts can ever do with them is make educated guesses.

I like those. Need one for my solid Gold coin collection.

I'd figure that the authentic racketeer nickels would have traces of gold gilt left, and they wouldn't have that shiny 24k replated look to them, almost the look like they've been polished.

Matthew, yours is a very neat piece. I like it a lot.

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm not sure which story I like more, the Racketeer Nickel or the Henning Nickel.

I agree ... there is no way to tell what era these nickels
plated.

As for mine ....

The guy who sold it to me swears it was made on a $5.00
gold planchet.

But he would let me have it for $1.00




I use mine to fill one of the empty holes at the end of
my low grade (bucket nickels) Liberty head/ V nickel album.

While I tend to agree that it's next to impossible to ascertain just when one of these "racketeer nickels" was produced, this one is about as close to being original as any that I've seen in over fifty years of collecting. Note the most professionally produced reeded edge which retains much of the gold plating:







This XF-ish coin appears to have circulated and/or been carried as a pocket piece. About a third of the original gold plating remains.

Thanks, jbuck. This evidences that the rim was machined/reeded prior to being plated, of course. The "circulation" wear that erased much of the plating is fairly uniform, suggesting a gradual erosion of the surface, so to speak. On a more modern example that I have, unreeded, the coin's wear obviously preceded the plating which is nearly 100% in coverage. The contrast between the two pieces is stark, and the pair have proven to be interesting conversation pieces at coin gatherings.