Why ome War-Nickels read higher "subject,"

[Paul (Ca)]

Hi Everyone,

Just logged onto the Quattro forum a minute ago and noticed you guys and gals are wondering why some silver nickels read higher, I wrote a thread a couple of years ago on this subject and recently replied to Ricks thread on another forum, after digging so many silver nickels I noticed most if not all would read different several allot higher than others. Had a couple of good responses from others one claiming maybe some of the silver nickels had more silver content that the others. His theory made sense but that couldn't be the case because of the high standard used making sure the proper percentage of alloy's were used, the war-time nickel composed of copper (56%), silver (35%) and manganese (9%).
My theory is the manganese broke down because of the harsh ground conditions and depending on the area some of these silver nickels will read higher than others, No other coin used manganese as an alloy except the war-time nickel and due to the war the alloy "nickel" was a critical war material.

Recently, Dug my highest signal with a war-time nickel, It came in at 28 digital with the Explorer, If scanned with the Quattro it would read high as a dime and from testing with my Whites 6000 Di-Pro it reads as a penny/dime signal. The Nickel is a 1945, it doesn't matter what year they are because it's the harsh ground conditions "cold, rain, etc?" which causes a chemical reaction to the war-time nickel to break down the manganese alloy. That's my theory at least

HH, Paul (Ca)

 

[Rick(ND)]

I feel you are on the right track with this one as I have never seen anything like this before myself. I took a reg war nickle I have dug and the one that is reading so high and cleaned them electroylsis to see if there would be a difference. I did my test again and the one still read much higher. I left them sit now in the sunlight to see if it make a difference, the one with the higher reading started to turn color, more of a light brown looking, so there is something different with it over the reg war nickle. It hasnt got darker yet than the first hour or 2 and I will be checking it again to see how it will read.
Thanks again Paul on you theory as I feel you may have the right answer.

Rick

 

[Paul (Ca)]

Hi Rick,

I don't think a electrolysis or other type of gizmo will change the alloy's in the war-time nickel, I even went as far as placing a mint silver nickel attached to a pair of vise-grips onto the stove burner getting the nickel very hot and this didn't change the reading at all.

One of those mysteries pointing in the direction of the "manganese" being the source of why buried silver nickels read different

Take care Rick
Paul (Ca)

 

[Paul (Ca)]

Forgot to mention, Even placed a mint silver nickel in the freezer for over 6 months and that coin still reads the same as it did before the freeze.

Something breaks down the manganese when buried for long periods? Maybe combination of rain and soil?, mysteries from the center of the earth? We'll never know
HH, Paul (Ca)

 

[Ohio Coinhunter]

Hi Paul,

I'm the one who found the 2 War Nickels that read so high on the meter on my Quattro. Thanks to you and Rick (ND) for the responses and the time taken to provide answers to the questions on this matter. I read your posts on the other forum that Rick forwarded me last week. I had a hunch that the Magnese composition had played a part in why the nickels read so high on the detector. The first nickel had me thinking that maybe I had something worth mentioning as far as the coin world goes. When I dug the 2nd nickel, 2 years newer and a different mint, then the Magnese deterioration theory made more sense. Especially when you look at the newer copper coated zinc cents. How will those coins read 50 years from now on detectors? Not comparing metals per say, but theorizing on how blended metals would react in soil over years and react to mineralization, etc.

Take the 1943 Steel Cents. Who has ever dug one out of the ground? Not me or anyone that I know of or heard of. It would have to be an extreme case or a cache buried to reveal these coins. If some have been lost, which I'm sure has, then most of us have discrminated them out because of he composition, and the deterioration of metal over the years. They would not be worth digging.

Thanks again for the explanation. It's logical and makes sense.

 

[Paul (Ca)]

I was so glad to see Rick post a thread regarding what you and Rick were concerned with on the silver nickel mystery, I figured no one cared with the thread I posted a couple of years ago, What a blessing to bring up the subject again only you and some others really care about this subject.

Like I said earlier, my recent war-time dug nickel reads very high as high as a dime a little higher than yous, If you'd like to borrow this nickel for testing purposes you can borrow it, Just let me know and I'll sent it your way.

Thank you, Paul (Ca)

 

[Rick(ND)]

When Mentioned those 1943 pennies I had found several years ago when we didnt have disc on a detector or when they are not as good as they are today, Back in the late 70s we would get a few now and then with most being with other coins, but it was a few. I took a Tesoro Super Traq out for a spin one day in one of my well worked parks about 4 years ago and the only coins I found were 3 of the 1943 steel pennies. I dug a lot of rusty bottle caps too, so there is a few detector that still will read them if the disc is not too high.

Anyway I was just trying a few things with your nickle to see if I can get it to change color or something different than just reading different. The nickle of your was turning a brown color compared to the one I have, but now the brown is change more to a light gray silver color.

I feel Paul has the right answer and being the 2 you got was from the same park I would say there is something in that ground wheiter it is fertilzer or minerals. How does your copper and silver look like when it come out of that park?

Rick

 

[Ohio Coinhunter]

The pennies and silver come out of the ground not too different than from anywhere else. Usually the silver is the white with maybe a small touch of the black tarnish. Pennies usually have the dirt crusted on them. It's a matter of soapy water and their fine. I mean you can tell that they were in the ground, discolored, but not horrible. Not too different from what other TH'ers post. I hunted areas where silver usually comes out greyish color and pennies, nickels can be cleaned up with soapy water.