Contemporary Counterfeit (Fake) Buffalo Nickel

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So a few months I picked up an interesting find at a local antique store that I know the description wasn't correct but I've seen these in books but never in person. This Buffalo nickel was labeled as an error coin but the mushy details and lack of obverse of the coin leads me to believe it to be a contemporary counterfeit. I would say it wasn't to deceive the coin collector thinking it to be a rare date or a one sided error coin but to pass in circulation without being noticed of counterfeiting. At the first glance it appears to be a genuine coin but the color just isn't correct leading me to believe it's made out of a different metal.

Edited by Nickelcollectr85
02/14/2021 10:00 pm

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Please show us the obverse for a start.

Sorry coinfrog image didn't go into it correctly for some reason thanks for the heads up

Quote:
but to pass in circulation without being noticed of counterfeiting

Kinda hard to not notice if you tried to pass a handful of one sided nickels. Couldn't this just be PMD? Maybe the weight would add some insight? Just wondering

Edited by Rothery
02/14/2021 11:10 pm

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Here's an image of the weight on my coin scale. Regular nickels have the weight of 5 grams..

I agree with Rothery. Why go halfway on the counterfeit? The obverse looks like a slug.

Looks like the obverse was ground/filed/sanded off.

Underweight. Plus, in the photo, I believe I see zones with lots of parallel scratches, and the direction of the scratches changes from one zone to another. That is exactly what happens when you try to grind something flat and change cutting direction and don't apply pressure consistently while shifting things around.

Lack of a rim on the Obverse tells me that it has been ground down.
You can't have a rim on only one side. This would also account for the lighter weight.
Just a damaged Buffalo nickel.

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Contemporary Counterfeit Buffalo Nickel