A NICKEL featuring third President Thomas Jefferson has sold for more than $150 on eBay.
Rare coins, in general, typically gain their value based on low mintage or an error.
But there’s an interesting plot around the Henning Jefferson, which is the one that sold in the eBay listing.
The nickel gets its name from Francis LeRoy Henning, who was a native of Erial, New Jersey.
For those who don’t know, he was a counterfeiter – and the Jefferson nickel was part of one of his schemes in the 1900s.
Various experts believe that Mr Henning made 500,000 counterfeit nickels, with the dates engraved said to be 1939, 1944, 1946, 1947, and 1953.
The counterfeit coin that was sold online is dated 1944 and has an error present without a mintmark.
You can notice this by taking a close look at the “R” in “Pluribus” on the reverse of the coin.
The seller describes this as a “loop.”
There’s also wear along the top side of the reverse.
Rare coins
You may be holding something valuable in your wallet. Check out these articles on rare coins to see if you may have a treasure hidden deep in your pockets.
- Rare Lincoln penny sells for $201
- This buffalo nickel sold for $1,165
- 1971 Eisenhower silver coin sells for $264,000
- Lincoln double die obverse penny sells for $2,000
- Half cent sells for $3,383
- Rare nickel sells for $1,956 on eBay
- 1889 CC Morgan Silver dollar coin sells for $1,850
- Lincoln 1992 penny can be worth up to $25,000
- Standing Liberty quarter sells for $565
- Lincoln coin minted in 2020 sells for $525
Although the Henning nickels are counterfeit, they appear to hold some value among collectors – with the coin in the listing selling for $156.50 after 19 bids.
That would mean the nickel is now worth nearly 313,000% its original value.
Recently, some others with the 1944 date have sold for $144.50, $104, and $97 respectively on eBay with multiple bids.
Just keep in mind that it’s illegal to own any counterfeit currency.
Meanwhile, it might sound ironic, but Chad Eicher, owner of Metal Pursuits, told The Sun last month that there are “many fakes” of the counterfeit nickel.
However, he added that the Henning Jefferson nickels are worth between $20 and $90 depending on the condition.
These are almost always found in grades ranging from “good” to “fine”.
What is your spare change worth?
Know that your nickels might not be the only coins that could be worth a serious mint.
You’ll want to check your change for rare dimes, half dollars, Lincoln pennies, quarters, and others because some of these coins might sell for thousands.
The most valuable coins are usually those with a low mintage or an error, as they’re deemed the most valuable by collectors.
To check out if your coins are worth anything on eBay, search the full name, select the “sold” listing and then toggle the search to “highest value.”
It will give you an idea of the amount of money that the coin is going for.
You can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist site such as Coinappraiser or USA Coin Book.
In other rare coin news, another Henning Jefferson nickel sold for more than $400 online.
