A 1942 nickel with a unique composition and one small error can be worth thousands.
Rare-coin TikTok channel @treasuretown specializes in highlighting rare and valuable coins.
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In a recent video, he highlighted a rare nickel from World War 2 that could be worth $8,000 or more because of a few key details.
Unlike most Jefferson nickels, many from 1942 were made with a mixture of silver and nickel.
This is because nickel was valuable to the war effort and thus rationed.
You can tell these war nickels by locating the mint mark above the design of Monticello, rather than off to the side as on typical nickels.
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While war nickels are popular with casual collectors and fetch more than face value, that is not what made the nickel featured in the video sell for $8,325 at a Heritage Auction.
This nickel sold for thousands because it was not only a war nickel, but one with a key mistake.
The d mint mark above Monticello has a horizontal d mark below it by mistake.
"What we are looking for is the D over horizontal d mint mark," @treasuretown explains.
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"As you can see there is a d punched under the regular D," he continued.
These 'horizontal d war nickels' are extremely rare and sought after, according to expert coin grader Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
"The variety is considered quite scarce, with possibly less than a few hundred examples known. In Uncirculated condition, it becomes very scarce with probably less than 100 examples known," said Jaime Herandez for PCGS.
"This is definitely a neat and scarce variety," agreed @treasuretown.
QUALITY CONTROL
Quality is also crucial.
Versions rated MS60 or above can sell for over $1,000, while those rated below this usually sell in the hundreds of dollars.
PCGS describes MS60 coins as having "no wear."
It goes on to say these coins "may be poorly struck with many heavy marks on hairlines."
A version of the Nickel rated at 66, just four points off of a perfect score of 70, sold for nearly $16,000.
By contrast, PCGS describes an MS66 coin as "well struck with a few marks or hairlines, not in focal areas."
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Dimes can also be worth thousands of dollars with the right error.
And a $20 bill with a bizarre sticker could be worth hundreds of thousands.
