Is My Nickel Actually Made of Gold?

  • Thread starter Thread starter russ_watters
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Nickel
AI Thread Summary
A user received a nickel that appears gold-plated and is questioning its authenticity, noting scratches that suggest previous handling. They are considering cutting it open to verify its composition but are hesitant due to its potential value as currency. Other participants suggest measuring its weight against a standard nickel to determine if it is genuine. There is also mention of gold-clad buffalo nickels being sold, which are not actual currency. The discussion highlights curiosity about coin authenticity and the potential for misidentified currency.
Messages
23,694
Reaction score
11,136
So, WTH is going on here? I received this otherwise ordinary-seeming nickel as change for my lunch today. It appears to be made of gold (plated?). I didn't make the scratches on it; my guess would be that some other curious individual was as confused as I am and decided to see if it was just plated. To the naked-eye, it would appear not, but in the close-up photo I am seeing a bit of "silver" coloring, implying that it is. I'm tempted to cut it open to find out for sure. Downside being that then I can't use it to buy 0.923 ounces of soda at work...

Opinions?

attachment.php?attachmentid=72648&d=1409707469.jpg
 

Attachments

  • P1080322.JPG
    P1080322.JPG
    53.7 KB · Views: 1,109
Physics news on Phys.org
Plot twist: It's actually a penny
 
Measure its weight against a normal nickle.
 
lisab said:
Measure its weight against a normal nickle.

WAD - What would Archie do?
(Except running around naked)
 
Enigman said:
...
(Except running around naked)
What is that supposed to mean ?
 
What is that supposed to mean ?
I guess he means Archie Meedies. You know, that guy whose best buddy was Harry Stottle.
 
  • Like
Likes 1 person
Ben Niehoff said:
They just had "gold clad" buffalo nickels on sale last night for $9.99. Limit 5 per customer. Each had 14 mg of gold "cladding".

edit: the caveat was that these were not actually US currency. Just copies of buffalo nickels.
 
just don't accept any "wooden nickels" :wink:

Dave
 
  • #10
Do a quick check.
Peel back the foil and there should be some milk chocolate inside.
 
Back
Top