Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Tiny

Do you have an odd coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Small change means just nickels and pennies but this piece I found on a seat at a store is something completely different. It looks like a buffalo nickel, it's metallic, and stamped 1938 but the size is way off.

A little investigation helped me find out what I really had.

Using my caliper I measured it to be 3/8 inches or 9.525 millimeters compare that to the
normal buffalo at 21.20 mm. The dateless buffalo I found, pictured above,is 21.03 mm which is slightly smaller because it is very worn.

It weighs 0.85 grams compared to a normal 5.00 gram buffalo nickel.
It is not magnetic but made of some type of metal.

Looking at the back it has old glue. A very clear and flaky glue. That confirmed my theory that it was part of some jewelry. It could not be a button because it was too small. A quick Google search of all the parameters of this fake coin I found this seller of earrings.

At $7.00 a pair you can get tiny coin earrings from all major circulating U.S. issues from tellmewhereonearth. com.

A bit odd is for $4.00 you can get the tiny coin itself, so why not buy the earrings rip off the post and have two tiny coins.

The fake coin is very well done for its size and made of a metal that is not aluminum which is not bad.

I estimate a retail value of $3.00 since I can easily scrape the rest of the glue off with out any damage. No numismatic value since this is at least art at most exonumia. Even though at bizarrefun.com they sell miniature, or as they spell it minature, coins as low as $0.50 each. They don't have any Indian heads but even at wholesale the value is still worth more than a nickel.

Do you have a weird coin and want to find out its value? Leave a comment and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

22 dollars worth, for Comments/Questions click here.:

James (UK) said...

Wow! What a great find! I wish something that cool would turn up on the Coinstar machine! Great pictures too, and well done for tracking it down.

Perhaps I can make something like a necklace out of all the crap I find. ;-)

Man said...

It was at a bookstore and probably from some school girl since they were swarming the place and making a ruckus, possibly a class trip.

That jewelery idea is not that bad, if two fake coin at $0.50 per coin, some glue, two metal post is at most $1.00. Sell them at $7.00 you make $6.00 profit for 2 seconds work.

With all those free Euros and washers your profit margins would be high.

Kayte said...

I hae a 1950 A Series $20 bill, serial # F63171027A from reserve bank of Atlanta, it has the number 6 in the four corners of the front. good shape, is it worth anything?

Man said...

1950 A Series $20 bill, serial # F63171027A

About $25.00

Anonymous said...

I have a commemorative coin of the first scheduled radio broadcast of harding/cox election returns, nov. 2, 1920 with imprint of eagle, harding & cox on one side. on the other side it says 50 years of broadcasting KDKA-Pittsburgh with an imprint of men sending out broadcasts. It has the size and color of a silver dollar. I cannot find out any info on it.

Man said...

commemorative coin of the first scheduled radio broadcast of harding/cox election

This is some type of election token that I'm not familiar with. Contacting a museum of Harding would probably get more answers or even a Radio Broadcast museum.

Anonymous said...

Hello, I found this nickel in my change and it looks like either a lot of grease got in the way on the reverse side, or someone was just rubbing it a lot. i took some pictures so I hope they help. I put the front in there just for the heck of it, nothing is wrong with it though.
obverse:[IMG]http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/4Taxidermy4/DSC03738.jpg[/IMG]
reverse:[IMG]http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/4Taxidermy4/DSC03737.jpg[/IMG]

Man said...

I found this nickel in my change and it looks like either a lot of grease got in the way on the reverse side, or someone was just rubbing it a lot.

Odd looking but I think it is damage, possibly smashed repeatedly.
99% certain it has no extra value.
Sorry I can't be 100%.

Anonymous said...

I have a 1944 Five centavos filipinas nickle and I would like to know the value.

Man said...

1944 Five centavos filipinas nickle

About $0.50

Anonymous said...

I have a 1938 d buffalo nickel and you can read every thing do you know how much it would be worth. It's in perfect codition.

Man said...

1938 d buffalo nickel and you can read every thing do you know how much it would be worth. It's in perfect codition.

Assuming at least mint state 65 it's about $80.00.

Unknown said...

I have a 1973 D dime that is a brown almost copper in color. Its in great shape and hardly worn. Could this be a dime struck in copper?

Man said...

1973 D dime that is a brown almost copper in color. Its in great shape and hardly worn.

The only way to find out if this is an error is to weigh it.

Anonymous said...

Found a buffalo nickel, but it's not in the best condition- it's so worn you can only see half of the outside rime where it says liberty. The date is also worn down too, so it it pretty much not there. Can you tell me the value? (If there's any)

Anonymous said...

1936 buffalo nickel, pretty clear. Worth?

Man said...

buffalo nickel, but it's not in the best condition- it's so worn you can only see half of the outside rime where it says liberty. The date is also worn down too, so it it pretty much not there.

Dateless buffaloes are generally about $0.50.

Man said...

1936 buffalo nickel, pretty clear about $1.75 in fine.

Anonymous said...

I actually have a set of coins, the buffalo nickel, Lincoln penny, Rosevelt dime, Eisenhower dollar, and Washington quarter in that exact tiny set up. Same year for the buffalo nickel and all. I remember getting these as a child and collecting coins. I can't remember if they came from a cereal box, gumball machine, or somewhere else. I only found this site because I was thinking of posting them on ebay.

Man said...

I actually have a set of coins, the buffalo nickel, Lincoln penny, Rosevelt dime, Eisenhower dollar, and Washington quarter in that exact tiny set up. Same year for the buffalo nickel and all. I remember getting these as a child and collecting coins. I can't remember if they came from a cereal box, gumball machine, or somewhere else.

Nice if they are as well made the one I found I'm guessing the set should be between $20-$50.

Unknown said...

git thus coin from my dad cant seen to find much about i do think its gold but not sure its a 1938 nickle indian on front facing too right and a Buffalo facing left for legs could soneone please help me no what this coin is about thank u

Anonymous said...

I have one as well