1936 d buffalo nickle. toned 0

[Bink2090]

Just thought this was interesting. Never seen a coin toned black. Its not painted, you cat scratch it off.

[Kirt]

6 hours ago, Bink2090 said:

Just thought this was interesting. Never seen a coin toned black. Its not painted, you cat scratch it off.

 

 

Black on cupronickel or clad coins instantly makes me think of swamp or marsh finds. A coin dropped in a mucky, anaerobic environment picks up that deep even black tone. I've found quite a few in much worse shape on a beach right by a tidal marsh; maybe something similar happened to your buff.

[VKurtB]

This also happens to nickels that pass through the human alimentary canal. Ew.

[Just Bob]

13 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

 alimentary canal.

Isn't that in Venice?

Edited January 15, 2020 by Just Bob

[kbbpll]

1 hour ago, Just Bob said:

Isn't that in Venice?

I'm picturing the gondolier.

I wonder if some of these were pocket mishaps involving ink. This was still the era of the fountain pen.

[Kirt]

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

This also happens to nickels that pass through the human alimentary canal. Ew.

Well, at points in that process it meets the definition of anaerobic...

on second thought, I hope my beach finds didn't originate that way. Given sewage disposal practices prior to the '60s, it cannot be ruled out.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Kirt

[VKurtB]

I have a friend who has carefully saved two "poo nickels" created by her son, now a Ph.D. researcher, and not of poo nickels.

[kbbpll]

TMI