According to my sources (Charlton) there were only 8,000 struck, and only 1 is known. It is a
V nickel similar to the 43 and 42.
Two schools of thought exist - some believe the coin was deliberately struck while others are convinced it's an error in the same class as the famous U.S. 1943 "copper" cents.
Those of the first school, cite the official
Royal Canadian Mint (
RCM) Report of 1944 as indicating $400 face value,or 8,000, of the coins dated 1944 were struck in late 1943 on tombac planchets and released into circulation early in 1944. Proponents of this theory feel the coins were struck either as business strikes or as patterns later approved for release into circulation. This theory fails to address the question as to why the government would produce patterns of a previously-adopted composition and design, or where the balance of pieces are if they were released into circulation.
Based on the observations of Canadian numismatic researchers, Robert Aaron and Dr. James Haxby, Canadian Coin News (CCN) Editor - Scott McLaren was probably the first to publish opposing theory. In his editorial of March 22, 1982, McLaren declares earlier stories on the 1944 tombac "nickel" appearing in CCN (and
Coin World) as "untrue", stating that a 1944 tombac five-cent piece was never intentionally struck by the
RCM. He sited press deadlines as the reason CCN's original story was not fully researched and was printed with erroneous information.
According to McLaren, what created the story was a "misreading of the Mint's report for 1943, which explained that roughly $400 worth of 1943 "nickels" had been placed into circulation in the early months of 1944." He explains that it is common practice at the Mint to maintain a small surplus of coins on hand from the previous year that are issued, "while the machinery for the new year's coins is set up." He contends that regular-issue tombac five cent pieces were indeed issued in 1944 but were dated 1943.
According to McLaren, the 1944 tombac five-cent piece is undoubtedly genuine and a probable mint error struck on a tombac planchet that somehow slipped in with the regular steel planchets. While the
RCM is well-known for several clandestine issues, the grade of this coin is indicative of its circulating status and virtually confirms it as having been released through normal channels.
If the coin is indeed an error, the scenario is identical to the that which created the 15 highly publicized 1943-P-D-S U.S. "copper" cents. The 1943 "copper"(actually bronze) cents should have been struck on the "war-time" zinc plated steel planchets but a few were inadvertently struck on bronze planchets left in the system from the year before.
Interestingly, the Charlton Standard Catalog of Canadian Coins continues to note that 8,000 1944 tombac five cent pieces were struck and that most "remained unissued and were melted." They incorrectly note that the one public transaction that has taken place (reported in Canadian funds at $9,5000) occurred in 1983 rather than in 1982.
Posted 10/01/2009 7:03 pm
