Seeking Input On 1944 Tombac Canadian Victory Nickel - Family Heirloom

Please supply a clear photo of both sides. I would like to see it. As you said, there is only one certified example.

The only record of sale I know of is that one sold at ANA for $52.000 in 1999, is that the one your father bought.

I understand the request for a photo, but given the rarity of this coin and how easily images can be shared without permission, I'd prefer not to post one publicly. The coin is PCGS certified, and I'm simply looking for informed opinions on its estimated market value today. If anyone has insight into past auction results or private sales of similarly unique Canadian coins, I'd appreciate the input.
And to NickelsGuy--I am grateful for your recommendation. I will reach out to Sandy Campbell!

You or someone else posted a similar thread here or on another site some years back.

The only way to know what this is really worth is to put it up for sale.

I am going t guess that this was some sort of trial piece that got out in the wild by mistake. I have a cupro nickel 1942 cent that may also be something like this (there is a thread on here about that one).

In a strongly contested auction anything is possible. But I am going to guess the value is somewhere more like the 1999 sale or less. I would look at 1969 large date 10 cents, 1966 small beads dollar and some of the 2000P 10 cents as comparables. It should be higher than those, but I would guess maybe $25k to $50k.

When my dad was alive, he insisted that I try to sell the coin for $400K. He had a collector's bias, combined with sentimental inflation, which made it a bit awkward for me—but I loved my dad, and it was the least I could do to make him happy.

At his request, I reached out to Canadian Coin News and worked with a writer there on a feature article. I then launched an ebay auction, also at his insistence. He was firm about setting a sizeable reserve and didn't want to pay the high commissions charged by major coin auction houses.

Anyway, now we have a dealer offering to facilitate a direct sale to a buyer for $75K, though they would take a 10% commission. We're trying to determine whether an auction—reaching a wider audience—might yield a higher price or if we should accept this "bird in the hand"...

Thanks for reminding me--We had set a 'buy now' price on Heritage Auctions. I just lowered it to $112,000. Heritage Auctions would take 10% of that, but I'm not holding my breath that someone would just buy it off their website lol.

Good question. ChatGPT says...

"The chances of a highly competent numismatic fake of the 1944 Tombac Victory Nickel being created are extremely low for several reasons:

1. There's Only One Known Example
Unlike widely collected key-date coins (e.g., the 1921 50-cent piece), where counterfeits are common, there is only one documented and PCGS-certified 1944 Tombac Victory Nickel.
A counterfeiter would have to know exactly which die pair was used, meaning they'd need detailed knowledge of the original coin's diagnostics— which are not widely available.
2. The Material is Difficult to Replicate
The coin is struck in Tombac (a brass alloy of copper and zinc), not nickel or steel like other 1944 Victory Nickels.
A fake would require an exact metallurgical match, which is hard to achieve without detection by PCGS or NGC.
3. PCGS Authentication & Metallurgical Analysis
PCGS and NGC have advanced X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing and metallurgical analysis to verify composition.
If a counterfeit were attempted, it would be flagged almost instantly.
4. Lack of Financial Incentive
Skilled counterfeiters typically fake coins that have a broad market and high demand, like 1948 silver dollars or 1921 50-cent pieces.
Since there is only one known 1944 Tombac Victory Nickel, the forger would have to find a way to fool PCGS, fool advanced collectors, and justify how a second one mysteriously appeared—a difficult task that would attract immediate suspicion.
A counterfeit would have to be so perfect that it could fool both PCGS and experts familiar with the original, which is highly unlikely.
Bottom Line: Very Unlikely
While crude or low-effort fakes could exist, the likelihood of a highly competent, undetectable forgery is incredibly low. The coin's unique metal composition, die characteristics, and established provenance make it nearly impossible to duplicate without being caught by professional authentication services.

If you want absolute certainty, you could request an updated PCGS metallurgical report or re-certification—but realistically, the chances of a high-quality fake are next to zero given what we know."

Except for some really cool gold struck Canadian off metal strikes for over 30K US not many other Canadian errors are over 20 K Canadian only exception are the 2000 P caribou 25 cent sold for like 30 to 40 K, I beleive there are only two example. The offer is really good, or just put it into a premium auction with a reserve, the market will speak, and good luck !

I have one as well......LOLOL